A teenager from North London is aiming to create nearly 200 flags of the world out of Rubik’s cubes in memory of her uncle.
Mimi Kaufmann, 14, from Finchley, took up the puzzle hobby during lockdown and is now able to solve a Rubik’s cube in 26 seconds.
She is now part-way through a year-long challenge in aid of the charity Brain Tumour Research as her uncle died from a brain tumour.
Mimi said: “Solving Rubik’s cubes was my hobby, and one day I realised I really liked making things out of them. At the time, I was memorising all the flags of the world, so I decided to make that my project.
“I was thinking of doing it for charity when my mum suggested I might like to do it in honour of my uncle. He died 10 years ago this October and my mum thought it would be nice for the challenge to coincide with his anniversary, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Mimi’s uncle, David Goldschmidt, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in September 2012 after experiencing problems with his balance and spatial awareness.
Mimi Kaufmann finishing her Israeli flag
Mimi finishing her Israeli flag (Photo: Handout)
The accountant, from Hendon, underwent debulking surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and even travelled to Germany for treatment but died in October 2013, aged 51.
Mimi’s mum, Aviva Goldschmidt Kaufmann, said: “What happened to my brother was very traumatic and very difficult because he left behind a wife and three young children - a baby boy and two sons in primary school.
“He was such a fantastic man, a really lovely person, kind, helpful, and very well loved.”
Mimi was taught how to use a Rubik’s cube – which has 43 quintillion combinations – by her 19-year-old brother, Joel, who is also a Rubik’s fan. She has now created 79 flags from it.
The Haberdashers' Girls' School pupil said: “The way I got the motivation to solve a Rubik’s cube was by really wanting to play Minecraft. My parents said if I could solve it, then I could play the game, so I solved it as quickly as I could.”
Her brother went to Israel and returned with 144 mini Rubik’s cubes. “He came home and made cube art and, when I said I wanted to try it, he handed them over, which is when I started making flags.
David Goldschmidt
Mimi's uncle David Goldschmidt (Photo: Handout)
“I use a mosaic generator to convert flag pictures to pixels, which I can then recreate using cubes.”
The first flag Mimi made was the British flag on the day the Queen died. “My last one was Ireland and I’m just finishing Israel. I had to miss out Estonia because I’m stuck with the colours of a Rubik’s cube, so don’t have black.
“I destroy them to make another, but I take photos and videos of them all.”
Aviva, 52, said: “Mimi has a good problem-solving mind. She also plays chess so she’s good at this sort of thing.”
Mimi is aiming to raise at least £2,740, which is enough to sponsor a day of research at one of the charity’s four Centres of Excellence. “I think I’d feel really accomplished if I did that,” she said.
Aviva added: “I know someone whose father had a GBM 25 years before David and there really hasn’t been any breakthroughs in treating the disease since then. That’s why I’m so keen to support Brain Tumour Research. We need to wipe out this horrible disease.”
Mimi-s flag of Cyprus
Mimi's flag of Cyprus (Photo: Getty)
In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Just 12 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54 per cent across all cancers.
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “David’s story is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate nature of brain tumours, which can affect anyone at any time.
“They kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer and more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.”
The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
Allesbrook added: “We’re really grateful to Mimi for taking on this challenge for us and wish her the best of luck finishing it by the end of the year”
She said that if anyone was able to loan or sponsor Mimi full-size Rubik’s cubes to take her challenge further, they should contact Brain Tumour Research.
To support Mimi’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mimi-kaufmann.
