Headbands of Hope

Today I have a very special guest to introduce. This is Jessica Ekstrom, President and founder of Headbands of Hope. Headbands of Hope is a movement to spread hope in all girls and fight childhood cancer, one headband at a time.  This is her story:

Almost everyone can think of a moment where they knew their life was about to change. For me, my moment was right before my 20th birthday in the summer of 2011. I began my internship at the Make-a-Wish Foundation that I can confidently say, changed my life forever.

Everyday, I got to wake up and grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. I took day trips to visit the wish kids at their houses and bring them their favorite toys. We received hundreds of letters from wish children that said we changed their lives; little did they know, they were changing mine.


One day, I was pulling my hair back in a ponytail and thought about the hundreds of girls I encountered that lose their hair to cancer. I saw how much losing their hair had an impact on their self-esteem and confidence level.




I thought about the thousands of girls around the world losing their hair to chemotherapy. Being a young girl presents many struggles with self-esteem already and losing their hair as a result of a life-threatening illness is traumatic.

I realized that headbands are the perfect way for these girls to keep their feminine identity and have a constant reminder that they're not alone.

 

For girls and women everywhere, their hair is a part of their feminine identity. Wigs can be uncomfortable and unappealing, especially to younger girls.

 

Therefore, I started Headbands of Hope. For every headband purchased, one headband will go to a girl with cancer and $1 will be donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation to fund life-saving childhood cancer research.

Join the fashion trend that makes a difference at www.headbandsofhope.org.

 

 
     
 

*Please take a minute to visit Headbands of Hope and while you’re there, be sure to check out Jessica’s blog.  I was so moved when I read the story of Renee that I just knew I had to share it with you!  I fully support her mission and I admire anyone who helps kids, especially kids with cancer.  I hope you will support her too and follow her on Facebook and Twitter!*