Soraya: A Life of Music, A Legacy of Hope

257 Pages·2007·6.87 MB·English

by  Soraya

S O R A Y A
A Life of Music,
a Legacy of Hope
SORAYA
Foreword by Nancy G. Brinker
founder, susan g. komen for the cure(cid:2)
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
S O R A Y A
A Life of Music,
a Legacy of Hope
SORAYA
Foreword by Nancy G. Brinker
founder, susan g. komen for the cure(cid:2)
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2007 by Soraya, Inc.
All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
Photo credits appear on page 240, which constitutes an extension of this copyright page.
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
Flower graphic © iStockphoto.com/Roman Dekan
Design and composition by Navta Associates, Inc.
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ISBN 978-0-470-17127-1
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
A hero does not have to win.
A hero does not have to be larger than life.
A hero can be an ordinary person who overcomes
Extraordinary events with dignity and grace.
—Soraya
A
It was Soraya’s wish that her proceeds from this book go
to breast cancer awareness and education programs.
For more information about Soraya and her mission, and
to find out other ways you can help, visit www.Soraya.com.

CONTENTS
Foreword by Nancy G. Brinker vii
A Labor of Love: Publishing Soraya’s Story by Joyce Fleming xi
Preface xv
PART ONE
THE ROOTS
Chapter 1 Gifts 3
Chapter 2 The Fabric of Courage 8
Chapter 3 Riches and Rag Dolls 11
Chapter 4 A Tradition of Silence 17
Chapter 5 A Struggle to Survive, a Surplus of Love 22
Chapter 6 Mother and Daughter 33
Memories 41
PART TWO
THE RISE
Chapter 7 Solo Mi Dios 59
Chapter 8 Music Lessons 67
Chapter 9 Heights and Depths 75
v
Chapter 10 How Do I? 83
Chapter 11 An Army for Change 91
Chapter 12 Reborn 99
Memories 109
PART THREE
THE RACE
Chapter 13 Miracles, Large and Small 161
Chapter 14 Signs of Life 169
Chapter 15 Singing to the Angels 179
Memories 187
Epilogue by Itzel Diaz 219
Inspirations:Eleven Helpful Themes interpreted and
compiled by Joyce Fleming and Alison Provost 225
A Medical Note by Joyce O’Shaughnessy, M.D. 238
Photo Credits 240
vi
FOREWORD
BY NANCY G. BRINKER
founder, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
I’ll never forget the first time I met her. Soraya was performing at a
fund-raiser for a Spanish television network in her beloved Miami. As
it did everywhere, her spirit filled the room. True to her name, she was
a shining star, stunning in her beauty and inspiring in her sincerity.
But it was what she said to me offstage that revealed the larger mis-
sion of her life and music. “Let me help you educate Hispanic women,”
she said, speaking of breast cancer, the disease that had taken her grand-
mother, her mother, and soon, her aunt—her angelitos, as she called
them.
Soraya wasn’t a performer looking for attention. She was a daugh-
ter, a niece, and a granddaughter looking to make a difference. She
knew that Latinas are less likely than other women to perform breast
self-exams and to have regular clinical checkups and yearly mammo-
grams. As a result, Latinas tend to be diagnosed at a later, more
advanced stage, making them more likely to die from breast cancer.
But Soraya also knew that when breast cancer is caught early, before
it spreads beyond the breast, the five-year survival rate is greater than 95
percent. “Everyone deserves a fighting chance to survive this terrible
disease,” she often said.
To help give Latinas that chance, those of us at the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (now the Susan G. Komen for the
Cure) worked with Soraya to include information about breast health
and the importance of early detection in her next album, Cuerpo y
Alma/I’m Yours.
vii
A few months later, the phone rang. It was Soraya. She was in
Colombia caring for her aunt. “Nancy, I found a lump,” she said.
Within days, her doctors had confirmed the worst—Stage 3 breast can-
cer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
It was all too familiar, like the unforgettable phone call I received
nearly thirty years ago from my sister, Susan G. Komen. Like Susan,
Soraya was diagnosed young—Susan at thirty-three, Soraya at thirty-
one. Both had their whole lives ahead of them. And both made a
promise—a solemn vow to end this disease and to spare other women
the pain and loss they had endured.
In the few years that followed, Soraya’s life, like her lyrics, became
an inspiration. As she wrote so poignantly in “No One Else”/“Por Ser
Quien Soy”:
With an army in my soul, soldiers of love, warriors of faith
Fighting a battle against the enemy with no face
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In my darkest hour, when I could barely see
I found the essence of a woman I never dreamed I could be
Some suggested that she not discuss her disease in public, that
doing so would undermine her image. But with compassion, love, and
courage, Soraya went public. And after it seemed she had beaten the
cancer, she shared the darkest hours of her fight, empowering women,
especially Latinas, to overcome the silence and shame that so often pre-
vents women from seeking the early treatment that saves lives.
As a singer-songwriter, she blended the traditions and influences of
many Latin cultures. As Komen’s “Latin Ambassador,” her love, hon-
esty, and humility (appearing often without her hair) transcended
countries, cultures, and language and touched the hearts of millions.
At Komen, we will remain forever grateful to Soraya. She was not
only an eloquent spokeswoman whose words and wisdom moved
audiences to tears and to action. She was a beloved friend who made
us better, helping us clarify and carry our message of hope to a new
generation of Spanish-speaking women. Those women now look to
viii
her with the same love and awe that Soraya felt for her own mother
when she sang, “I think of how strong you were and it helps me to
get by.”
Soraya never stopped teaching us, not even in the darkest hours
when her cancer returned. As she neared the end of her journey, Soraya,
as always, reached into her soul and found just the right words to cap-
ture her spirit: “I know there are many questions without answers, and
that hope doesn’t leave with me. . . . My mission does not end with my
physical story.”
And that, I believe, will be the greatest legacy of her life—the hope
she gave, the hearts she touched, and the lives she saved. Soraya left us
far, far too early. But like her angelic voice that moved us all, her music
and her mission live on.
ix