By Nani Rahayu Yusof (Bernama News, December 27th 2011)
NEW YORK: Despite being diagnosed with the Big C, breast cancer survivor Marina Mustafa was not deterred from living life to the fullest and she even went on to write a children’s book, “Little Asha’s Adventure – A Girl’s Journal Of Malaysia”.
The 54 page illustrated book tells the story of an eight-year-old girl named Asha, who lives on a farm in North Carolina, United States and her visit to Malaysia to meet her maternal grandparents.
Marina, 39, who hails from Kuala Lumpur also sketched all the illustrations in the book.
She lives in Boone, a small town in North Carolina and is married to Dr Brad Batchelor, a chiropractor whom she met on a business trip, five years ago.
Contacted by Bernama recently, the mother of three-year-old Asha said, “In early 2010, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, I had just turned 37 and my daughter was just 15 months old.”
“I started writing the very month I was diagnosed. Writing and drawing took my mind off my illness. I was very fortunate that there were zero nodes affected and could choose from several treatment options. After getting three medical opinions I chose to have a mastectomy, which was to remove my left breast, with no radiation,” she said.
Marina, who is an Economics graduate from the University of Missouri, Kansas City said it took her nearly four months to complete the book.
When asked what inspired her to write the book , Marina said : “Upon returning from a holiday in Malaysia with my family, and realising that children learn about other cultures and people through the internet, other media sources and in school, this book was written to educate young readers on the rich culture of an Asian country like Malaysia.
“I believe that by exposing children and widening their horizons to people of different cultures, they will be better prepared to function in the diverse global society that we live in,” said Marina, who is also active in breast cancer awareness activities and writes for magazines and blogs on health issues in the US.
“Children should be taught to have pride in their heritage. They need to develop sensitivity for others’ beliefs, values and customs. If Euro-American children find only people like themselves represented in literature, they could easily get the impression that they are somehow better or more worthy as a group than others,” she added.
Second book underway
Marina wants her daughter to be raised in a society that is culturally aware and for people to be sensitive to the common needs and emotions of all people.
She said Malaysia was one of the few countries in the world that has a strong multi–ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society, with the various groups still maintaining separate cultural identities.
“Most important, we have always lived peacefully and in harmony despite the differences in race, religion, language and ethnic background. Malaysia observes quite a number of festivities throughout the year. So, children are taught from a very young age to acknowledge and respect people of different backgrounds. I grew up embracing all sorts of ethnic and religious festivities and celebrations,” she said.
She described the main character in the book, little Asha, as herself when she was a little child with many friends from different cultural backgrounds and said she was always fascinated and curious with their lifestyles, which was very different than hers.
Marina is now writing her second book on Asha’s experience during her trip to Bali, Indonesia.
- Bernama News
