By Vicki Little
A little over a year ago, we introduced you to Elizabeth Holmes, the Stanford University dropout who was revolutionizing a common medical procedure. Using her tuition money that she saved by dropping out of college, she started her own company, Theranos, and invented a new way of taking blood tests. The new method is less painful, easier, quicker, and much less expensive. Recently named in TIME’S top 100 most influential people, Holmes is well on her way to her dream of having an inexpensive blood test available to everyone.
Theranos has partnered with Walgreens to create thousands of wellness centers. The centers will offer a large range of blood tests, from cholesterol to cancer and more. A simple pin prick will collect a small amount of blood in a “nanotainer, ” and that amount of blood will be used for multiple tests. The “patient” does not need a prescription nor a doctor to get the test, and it is available at a mere fraction of what Medicare pays for the more intensive needle-drawn blood tests. The tests are not currently available everywhere, but Theranos is working hard to get them in every state.
Holmes, now 31, is the world’s youngest self-made billionaire according to “CBS This Morning” co-host Norah O’Donnell. In her interview, Holmes admitted that the majority of her waking hours are spent working so that she can change the world — a dream that she’s had since she was 9 years old. It was then that she told her dad in a letter she wanted to do something no one thought possible.
Talk about making your dreams come true, Ms. Holmes is proof it is possible!
Vicki Little is a work-at-home mom with two young kids. A Colorado native, she is the Publisher and Editor of Macaroni Kid Aurora and Downtown Denver. When she isn’t writing or trying to keep up with her kids she can be found volunteering, reading, or enjoying a bottle of wine with friends.
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