From left to right: Headbands of Hope Founder, Jessica Ekstrom; the Hope Twistband; Kathleen, a St. Baldrick’s shavee; Blue Polka headband from the Classic Shabby collection; St. Baldrick’s Honored Kid, Abby, with St. Baldrick’s staff member, Kristen Thies
What if a simple headband could spread hope to girls and women everywhere? At Headbands of Hope, for every headband purchased, one is given to a girl with cancer and $1 is donated to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to fund life-saving childhood cancer research.
I was 19 years old when I got the idea to start Headbands of Hope after my college internship at Make-A-Wish. I noticed that girls loved to wear headbands after losing their hair to cancer treatment. I knew I wanted to donate headbands to girls battling cancer, but I also knew I wanted to give funds to research.
St. Baldrick’s was the perfect match. Not only do they care for every donor dollar and return the most promising childhood cancer research, they bring light to kids’ cancer by having fun in the process.
Since we launched in April 2012, we’ve had the opportunity to donate headbands to thousands of girls across the nation. One girl in particular, Maya, truly exemplifies our relationship with St. Baldrick’s.
Here is Maya’s story:
11-year-old Maya, wearing her headband from Headbands of Hope
“My name is Maya, I am 11 years old, and I have cancer. I was diagnosed in October 2012 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and I am in my eighth month of treatment. I live by the motto of Bob Marley’s song Three Little Birds and believe that ‘Every little thing is gonna be alright.’
“Even though I am still going through treatment for my own cancer, I am already working on ways to support other kids with cancer. I have everything I need and I want to bring a little sunshine to other kids at the hospital.
“Since I’ve had cancer and lost all of my hair, I was afraid people would look at me differently. But with headbands, I’ve gained confidence to go out in public bald, and I’ve gotten lots of compliments.
“My very favorite headband is the one I received from Headbands of Hope. It means even more to me that they donate money to St. Baldrick’s for every headband they sell. Helping other kids with cancer made the idea of losing my hair a lot easier to take. Thank you to Headbands of Hope for bringing a little sunshine to me and other kids dealing with cancer.”
Maya’s story echoes thousands of other girls who find hope from these headbands and trust in the research of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. When you purchase a headband, you’re giving hope in two ways: You’re helping a girl with cancer cope with the emotions of losing her hair during treatment, and you are making a difference for all kids with cancer by donating to research.
Daphne Blunt, host of Fanlala fashion series, and Emily Magilnick, St. Baldrick’s Ambassador, model the Hope Twistband
Join us to support children like Maya across the nation. Wear a Headband of Hope on September 1st with Maya to kick off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
And, for the month of September, when you purchase the Hope Twistband, Headbands of Hope will donate two headbands to a girl with cancer and $2 to St. Baldrick’s.
Together we can conquer childhood cancers…one headband at a time!
For every Hope Twistband purchase in September, Headbands of Hope will donate two headbands to a girl with cancer and give $2 to St. Baldrick’s for childhood cancer research.
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