Health-challenged single mother on a mission

PETALING JAYA: Nurzaini Zahayup, who prefers to be known as Zai, is a single mother on a mission to ensure financial independence for her family, despite suffering from lupus, an energy-sapping autoimmune disease that severely limits her movement.

Zai faces an uphill battle each day as she struggles to grow her catering business and run her cafe.

“Up to 2015, I worked in the telecommunications industry and even made it to assistant manager. I consider myself a ‘beach bum’ as I love spending my annual holidays scuba-diving near islands and enjoying the sun and sea,” the 43-year-old told theSun.

While holidaying at the Boracay resort island in the Philippines that same year, Zai became breathless all of a sudden.

She was 35 years old then, and in a state of panic, she went for a medical check-up and was diagnosed with a lung infection. This later progressed to having fluid in her lungs.

“From then on, it was a nightmare, as I was finally diagnosed with lupus. My whole world turned upside-down.”

It was a difficult time for her as lupus, also known medically as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, progressively attacked her lungs and caused scarring, making it difficult to work full-time.

She decided to pursue a career in the food industry and signed up for a hotel management course.

“After I graduated, I worked at a reputable restaurant in Damansara Heights, where I learned how to prepare western-style dishes, which turned out to be popular with my corporate clients. So, I switched career paths completely to catering food for upscale clients.”

When the venture started to turn a profit, she opened a cafe, now located below her condominium in Damansara Perdana.

The opening of the cafe was crucial as she could not meet the Islamic Development Department criteria to obtain halal certification if she continued to work from home.

With the cafe housed in its own premises, she managed to get the halal certification, which attracted more customers.

Her days were then spent preparing meals for her mostly corporate clients and running the cafe, Kylie’s Foodhall, which she named after her only child.

Today, after nine years in the business, Zai employs four helpers.

“There are times when I cannot do much work for up to four days in a week,” she said, adding that in September 2021, she found it difficult to walk long distances and had to purchase a motorised wheelchair.

Despite her condition, the strong-willed divorcee strives to improve herself and last year, she travelled to England to attend classes conducted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

“It has not been easy for my daughter to accept my condition, but she is my rock and I’m grateful that she understands, as I share my struggles with her,” said Zai, who was married in 2007 and divorced two years later, when Kylie was only a year old.

In the early days, Zai said she would cry herself to sleep and sometimes talk to herself. But when she became a single parent, her daughter became her reason to push herself towards business success.

“There was a lack of awareness on lupus and many a time, I had no one to share my distress and to seek information, until I joined the Malaysian Lupus Association.

“From there, I was introduced to the Lupus Community Support Group on Facebook,” said Zai, who was comforted by the information shared and the emotional support given by the group members.

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