All the same, the cancer diagnosis crushed her. And she went through treatment and a surgery to remove her thyroid.
But the cancer reared its ugly head twice over subsequent years and spread to her arms and lungs as well. Two more surgeries and treatments followed.
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.
It was then that her son, Aziff Azuddin, who was in form five then, approached her. “He said: ‘You know, mummy, I feel very sad to see you looking so sad. So, since you love cooking, why don’t you continue to do something that doesn’t physically drain you?
“So, that’s how he asked me to write a cookbook,” the 57-year-old told FMT Lifestyle.
She decided to give it a go. But what should the cookbook be about? “I wanted to make sure that this cookbook was about me, and I wanted this cookbook to be something that I could share with my children when I’m not around.”
After brainstorming with her mother, she decided it should be about the cycle of life.
She approached family and friends for recipes of dishes traditionally cooked during special occasions that mark a Muslim’s life.
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.
“I didn’t want my children to forget about the traditions and the right way to celebrate. Maybe a lot of people won’t be doing what I wrote, but I think we should document it and at least remember that this is how you’re supposed to celebrate ‘Potong Jambul’, ‘Khatam Al-Quran’ and basically the cycle of life.”
Titled “Memorable Recipes for Malay Occasions”, the book was published in 2009 and is particularly special as Aziff took all the photographs himself as well as did the layout.
“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.”
However, one thing took her completely by surprise – the positive feedback from the public. Pumped, she went on to publish “Nostalgia Bersama Marina Mustafa” in 2011.
But she didn’t stop there. To date, she has an astonishing 26 cookbooks, in English and Malay, under her name!
Her cookbooks opened the door for other opportunities – the chance to work with well-known brands such as Philips Malaysia, Gardenia, and ATOMY Malaysia. She has also been featured on a few TV series and cooking shows on local television stations.
She was also invited to represent Malaysia at the Asiada Master-Class Cooking Event at Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, where the guest of honour was its president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
She is presently the brand ambassador for CookXAsia, a social cooking app.
Looking back on her journey, she said: “If not for my son, my life direction probably would have been different. But the cookbooks literally changed my life,” she said, adding that she felt a sense of purpose now. And publishers began noticing her too.
All the same, she recognised the shifting trend towards online content and today makes it a point to upload cooking videos on social media, bringing much cheer to her followers as she measures, sifts and stirs!
Although her recent cancer marker result is high and there are still tumours in her lungs, she added: “As long as it is stagnant and not disturbing my life and I can still try to make every day of my life worth it, I’m grateful.
“Imagine at my age, in Asia, I am still contributing something to society. I am grateful for that.”