MIAMI, FL - - Latin GrammyAward-winner Soraya, who battled breast cancer and the cultural barriers to breast cancer awareness in the Latina community until her death in 2006 has left, as her final words, a powerful memoir to inspire anyone coping with the disease.

Soraya: A Life of Music, a Legacy of Hope, was written primarily as a life-saving message to Latinas and all women of color, who are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. Soraya’s memoir chronicles the devastating toll breast cancer took on the beloved women in her family, including her mother, as well as her rise to fame, her fight for survival, and the battle she fought through her final hours to empower women worldwide to take charge of their breast health. Her book is available in bookstores throughout the country on October 2007. As was Soraya's wish, royalties from this book owed to her estate will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

According to the American Cancer Society, the mortality rate for breast cancer among Latinas is 20% greater than white women, and for African-Americans it’s 36% higher. This is attributed to cultural barriers, poverty, language barriers and lack of access to appropriate health care. As a result they are diagnosed much later, often at a point where treatment options and potential life-saving medical interventions are more limited.

As Soraya knew all too well, in the Latina community the subject of breast cancer is avoided for a number of culture-based reasons.

“Breast cancer is an insidious killer of about 40,000 American women per year and for lower income women, cultural barriers and access to quality care make it even more lethal,” said Susan Carter, Komen's Senior Advisor, Office of the President. “Soraya’s book ...