Kim Builta and Mali Schwartz
The Story
Kim Builta
Plugerville, TX
Social Media: @builtalife (IG)
Survivor - Metastatic breast cancer
Caregiver - Renal cancer
Twist on Cancer: I am a survivor, thriver, lifer. Diagnosed at the age of 37 with stage 3b breast cancer, I received surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. I thought cancer was behind me and I began to live my life again. However, at age 44, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and have been navigating a new life with some kind of medication (six different treatments and counting) for the past 13+ years.
I am a daughter, mother, and widow. My husband and I were married for 23 years before he died from renal cancer. We have two beautiful daughters who grew up with a parent with cancer and then watched one die. My father died from small-cell lung cancer four days before my husband passed. I try to live a life without fear to remind my daughters we can overcome what life has thrown at us.
I am a friend. If cancer has taught me anything, it is we cannot do this life alone. I have surrounded myself with people I love and who love me. They have been my strength, my anchor and my light during some of my most difficult times. They have also shown me that as dark and scary as life can sometimes feel, if you have friends, you can do anything.
Social Media: @builtalife (IG)
Survivor - Metastatic breast cancer
Caregiver - Renal cancer
Twist on Cancer: I am a survivor, thriver, lifer. Diagnosed at the age of 37 with stage 3b breast cancer, I received surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. I thought cancer was behind me and I began to live my life again. However, at age 44, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and have been navigating a new life with some kind of medication (six different treatments and counting) for the past 13+ years.
I am a daughter, mother, and widow. My husband and I were married for 23 years before he died from renal cancer. We have two beautiful daughters who grew up with a parent with cancer and then watched one die. My father died from small-cell lung cancer four days before my husband passed. I try to live a life without fear to remind my daughters we can overcome what life has thrown at us.
I am a friend. If cancer has taught me anything, it is we cannot do this life alone. I have surrounded myself with people I love and who love me. They have been my strength, my anchor and my light during some of my most difficult times. They have also shown me that as dark and scary as life can sometimes feel, if you have friends, you can do anything.
Mali Schwartz
Miami Beach, FL
“A Heavenly Encounter in the Sky”
Oil
30” x 40” x 0.5”
$600
Artist Statement: Kim Builta was my inspiration for the 2024 Brushes with Cancer program. I found a wealth of information from speaking to her and on her blog titled, "Builtalife: Offering Hope to Those On the path Behind Me." Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, at 37. At 44, it had metastasized to her bones. She is now 57. She shares that: metastatic cancer is never cured. She is still battling the MBC beast that has chosen to attack her body. She has been on six different medications since 2010. Kim lost her husband JR to cancer when he was 52.
I wanted to depict her extraordinary attitude. One of her blog posts, "Dream Big, Lessons from my Skydiving Adventure," described what she learned when she went skydiving at Spaceland in San Marcos, Texas. "The first stop is the scariest. Then, it feels like a freight train coming straight at you for 60 seconds until you pull the cord.” She stresses that "you should make sure to slow down and enjoy the views and that even when you're falling, someone's got your back. When you get back on your feet, celebrate all that you've accomplished."
Kim is not just a survivor, but someone who has persevered under very trying circumstances. I wanted to depict her "tribe," her support group in this painting. So, I imagined that she was skydiving with her husband, JR. When she returns to earth, she's in a victorious pose, with her friends watching from a distance.
My painting reflects Kim's enduring spirit and the message she shares with others: to make the most out of life, to not be afraid to take risks, and to remember that someone's always got your back.
“A Heavenly Encounter in the Sky”
Oil
30” x 40” x 0.5”
$600
Artist Statement: Kim Builta was my inspiration for the 2024 Brushes with Cancer program. I found a wealth of information from speaking to her and on her blog titled, "Builtalife: Offering Hope to Those On the path Behind Me." Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, at 37. At 44, it had metastasized to her bones. She is now 57. She shares that: metastatic cancer is never cured. She is still battling the MBC beast that has chosen to attack her body. She has been on six different medications since 2010. Kim lost her husband JR to cancer when he was 52.
I wanted to depict her extraordinary attitude. One of her blog posts, "Dream Big, Lessons from my Skydiving Adventure," described what she learned when she went skydiving at Spaceland in San Marcos, Texas. "The first stop is the scariest. Then, it feels like a freight train coming straight at you for 60 seconds until you pull the cord.” She stresses that "you should make sure to slow down and enjoy the views and that even when you're falling, someone's got your back. When you get back on your feet, celebrate all that you've accomplished."
Kim is not just a survivor, but someone who has persevered under very trying circumstances. I wanted to depict her "tribe," her support group in this painting. So, I imagined that she was skydiving with her husband, JR. When she returns to earth, she's in a victorious pose, with her friends watching from a distance.
My painting reflects Kim's enduring spirit and the message she shares with others: to make the most out of life, to not be afraid to take risks, and to remember that someone's always got your back.