The Student News Site of Cathedral Preparatory School

The Rambler

The Rambler

The Rambler

Awards & Recognition

2016
Edinboro University & Northwestern Pennsylvania High School Journalism Competition: First Place (Daniel Anthony, Opinion Category); Fifth Place (Brendan Jubulis, Sports)

2015
Edinboro University & Northwestern Pennsylvania High School Journalism Competition: Third Place (Website)
Student Keystone Press Awards Honorable Mention (Website)

2014
Edinboro University & Northwestern Pennsylvania High School Journalism Competition: Third Place (Website)

Changing the world, one headband at a time

Changing+the+world%2C+one+headband+at+a+time

13-year-old cancer survivor Anna Markiewicz has her very own “Daisies” themed headband design on the Headbands of Hope website. She entered her design through one of the organization’s competitions in April of 2021, and she received word that she won the competition less than 24 hours later. 

Now that her design is up on the website, any person can buy one. For every headband that is purchased through the Headbands of Hope website, another headband will be donated to a child with cancer.

Headbands of Hope was started in 2012 and is now carried in thousands of stores. It has even gotten support from celebrities like Lea Michele, Kelsea Ballerini, and NBA teams like the Dallas Mavericks. Hundreds of thousands of headbands have been donated to children with cancer. 

Anna was first introduced to the Headbands of Hope company by her child-life specialist, and she is so excited to be a part of it. The fact that she is helping kids just like her brings a huge smile to her face. 

“In a way, it’s me giving back,” Anna said. “That’s a really good feeling. I went to the Children’s Hospital down in Pittsburgh for my treatment, and for every headband that is sold, another headband is donated to that hospital, so that’s really cool. It makes me very happy.”

Even though the journey through cancer was extremely difficult for Anna, throwing eggs at a picture of the radiation tunnel, playing basketball with her child-life specialist, and strawberry ice cream with caramel sauce helped her through it. 

Anna’s sister and current Villa junior Leah Markiewicz shares Anna’s joy with giving back. 

“When my family found out that she [Anna] won [the competition], we were all super proud of her,” Leah said. “It was really exciting to reflect on the whole journey and see how far she has come. It feels good to know that she is able to give back to other people who are experiencing similar situations.” 

If you or anyone you know would be interested in purchasing Anna’s headband design or would like to donate to Headbands of Hope, go to www.headbandsofhope.com.

Leave a Comment
About the Contributor
Olivia Buckel, Senior Editor-in-Chief
Olivia is the senior editor-in-chief of The Rambler. She was the junior editor of The Rambler during the 2021-2022 school year, and has written over twenty articles. She enjoys going to the movies, reading, and skiing in her free time, and hopes to pursue English at a four-year university.
More to Discover
Donate to The Rambler
$0
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Rambler Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *