FMT speaks with the 57-year-old who penned her first book as a legacy for her children but decided not to stop at one.
PETALING JAYA: In 1999, Marina Mustafa was diagnosed with stage three thyroid cancer. She had earlier discovered a lump in her neck but didn’t think much of it. However, when more lumps started appearing, she knew it was cause for concern.
Those were difficult days and it left Marina pondering about the future. By then, she was already a mother of four. She had been running her own café, Cafe Dania, but closed it after 16 years because of her failing health. These included “aqiqah”, a ceremony involving the sacrifice of an animal following a child’s birth as well as “majlis tahlil”, which takes place after a burial during which the Al-Quran is recited.
“After I wrote the book, I felt like I had achieved what I wanted: to leave a legacy for my children, something for them to remember me by.”