May 2003 (Newstream) -- Each year, an estimated 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the U.S., affecting women of all races, from all walks of life. The disease can strike at any time, as the Latina music star Soraya learned when she was diagnosed in 2000 with breast cancer at the young age of 31.
By the year 2000, Soraya already had two number one hits on Billboard's Latin Airplay Charts and was touring with the likes of Sting, Alanis Morissette and Natalie Merchant. But two weeks before embarking on an international tour to promote her third album, Soraya was diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that had already claimed the lives of her grandmother, mother and aunt.
Now three years later and after an aggressive treatment regimen, Soraya is a breast cancer survivor and her career is back on track. She has released her fourth album, Soraya, as well as written and recorded a breast cancer anthem of hope and triumph called No One Else. Today, as part of her efforts to educate women about breast cancer, Soraya is speaking out about "Living With It," a novel support program designed to help the thousands of women with breast cancer cope with a wide range of issues. Women can access free, timely and often hard-to-find information on treatment options, coping strategies and financial advice. Information is customized to the stage of a woman's disease. The program, available online at
http://www.livingwithit.org and via mail, is intended to treat the whole patient, not just the cancer patient.