Meet Jess
Headbands of Hope was founded by Jessica Ekstrom in her junior year of college, while she was carrying an 18 hour course load.
Jess: During the summer of 2011, I did an internship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I found that girls loved to wear headbands instead of wigs after losing their hair to treatment. The girls at Make-A-Wish touched my heart so much and I wanted to develop a way where every girl battling cancer could have a headband.
A 4-year-old girl with brain cancer wished to go to Disney World to meet Sleeping Beauty for her wish. A week before her trip, her cancer took a turn and the doctors sent her home saying she could have her last few weeks with her family.
A couple days later, I showed up on her doorstep dressed as Sleeping Beauty. I brought her a princess dress and crown and read her the story of Sleeping Beauty. A week later, she passed away. Her mother called me saying she was at peace with her daughter’s passing because she knew she got everything she ever wanted: to meet Sleeping Beauty.
At this point, I knew I wanted to take action of my own to help these girls. They’re already risking losing their life, their hair-loss should be the last thing they have to worry about.
For a lot of girls, hair is a part of their feminine identity. Losing your hair, especially for a younger girl, can be traumatic. My vision is for these headbands to provide them some light and help them regain a part of their feminine identity during such a tough time.
Dibzy: This Dibzy Founder was in tears at this point, I too have been through chemo and met Jess when I had only a half inch of hair. Jess is a great inspiration to me, and I am honored to have her as a part of the Dibzy community… Jenny

Jess and her friend modeling fashionably coordinated headbands!
Headbands of Hope bring big smiles.
Boys rock buffs!
Chevron and Mustard, one of our favorite Headbands of Hope.
Love the Bo Ho look for kids of all ages.
Dibzy founder, Jenny Faw modeling her Headbands of Hope bow on new post chemo hair!
Fun Facts
- I worked in Disney World.
- I’m super competitive.
- Favorite color is yellow.
- I love all Will Ferrel movies.
- I love to write! My first book is “The Freshman Fabulous: The Girl’s Guide to College”
Watch the Headbands of Hope video http://youtu.be/_vaRX2Xh7H8