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Talking about cancer in Spanish
April 22, 2008
One of our foremost public health organizations made big news last summer with the announcement that its $15 million ad budget will focus on the U.S.’s dismal access to medical care and insurance, instead of more traditional messages of disease prevention and detection.
"I believe, if we don’t fix the health care system, that lack of access will be a bigger cancer killer than tobacco," the American Cancer Society‘s CEO told The New York Times. "The ultimate control of cancer is as much a public policy issue as it is a medical and scientific issue."
That gave the professional think tankers, in their tireless defense of the American Way of Life, a reason to sit in front of microphones telling us that the American Cancer Society has no place in politics, and so on.
They could have saved at least some of their breath. The ACS yesterday launched an ambitious Spanish-language awareness and outreach campaign called "Estamos Contigo." From the press release:
Recent research indicates that the Hispanic population has a greater than average chance of being diagnosed with cancer at a later, less treatable stage of the disease, and that Hispanics are less likely than the general population to survive five years after diagnosis. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Hispanics, and nearly one-half of Hispanic women and one-third of Hispanic men in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
There’s an extensive fact-packed website in Spanish at www.cancer.org/espanol as well as a telephone number and email contact for reach Spanish-speaking cancer information specialist. The ACS can hook you up with free flyers and leaflets, too, if you want. They're standing up for health justice.
Voices for cancer awareness? There’s never been one more beautiful than that of Soraya, in Spanish or in English. It’s been a dozen years since I and a lot of other people bought her first 
album, En esta noche; nearly two years since we all lost her to breast cancer--the disease that took her grandma, her mother, and her favorite aunt. Born and (mostly) raised in New Jersey to Colombian parents, Soraya in her last years was a pioneering spokesperson raising breast cancer awareness and understanding among Spanish-speaking women.
She wrote an inspiring biography, available in both languages. You can even win a copy of Con las cuerdas rotas for yourself or your library if you share one of your memories of Soraya in the comment box below and win the prize drawing.
If you want some inspiration, crank your speakers or plug in your earbuds and dive in here to listen to Soraya's music and enjoy full-length videos.
Posted by Bruce Jensen on April 22, 2008 | Comments (0)
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