The Ford Foundation, a longtime supporter in the fight against breast cancer, has partnered with Mexican American author and former Univision newscaster Mayte Prida to bring breast-cancer awareness to Hispanics. Prida, who recently wrote a memoir about her struggle with the disease, Una etapa difícil: Mi lucha contra el cáncer (A Difficult Journey: My Battle With Cancer, Centauro Pub.), will be instrumental in Ford's Hispanic Breast Health Awareness campaign, a 10-year-old tradition of widespread national reach.

Ford has partnered with Hispanic celebrities in the past to promote breast-cancer awareness, but this is the first time the foundation has chosen an author and her Spanish-language memoir as vehicles for the campaign. "When it comes to personal history, a book in journal form seems the most direct way to reach the public," explains Aida Shalkow, a public relations representative for the Ford Motor Company. "Because of her visibility as a journalist and her biculturalism, Prida will be able to make an impact on both American and Latin women in the United States."

At age 38, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Prida was already one of the top national television figures and a newly divorced mother of two without health insurance. After researching the disease and not finding any literature in Spanish, she began writing about her experience. She pitched her memoirs to Centauro Publishing, a Colombian New Age publisher with offices in Miami, and was then approached by the Ford Foundation to represent the campaign.

Centauro released the book in both English and Spanish on June 24, with a significant first print run of 10,000 copies in each language. The books will be sold at major bookstores and distributed for free at health centers and schools in major Hispanic communities like Miami, Houston, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.

A fully recovered Prida is now touring the country, promoting her message of health to a wide range of women. Prida has taken the best from her cancer experience and created a major Latino book event in the United States.