Meet Jess

profile-imageHeadbands of Hope was founded by Jessica Ekstrom in her junior year of college, while she was carrying an 18 hour course load.

heart1Jess: 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.

heart1For 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.

heart1Dibzy: 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
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Jess and her friend modeling fashionably coordinated headbands!

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Headbands of Hope bring big smiles.

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Boys rock buffs!

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Chevron and Mustard, one of our favorite Headbands of Hope.

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Love the Bo Ho look for kids of all ages.

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Dibzy founder, Jenny Faw modeling her Headbands of Hope bow on new post chemo hair!

 
I’m ready to
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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”

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Watch the Headbands of Hope video http://youtu.be/_vaRX2Xh7H8

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