Test Us Too: Why We’re Standing With Ellie Sullivan to Help Change Cancer Testing

Sometimes something comes along that is bigger than nails, bigger than business and bigger than anything we would normally talk about here.

This is one of those times.

We’re incredibly proud to be supporting Ellie Sullivan and the Test Us Too campaign, which is calling for better access to genetic testing for younger people diagnosed with cancer.

Ellie is a mum of four, a single parent, a salon owner and an employer. Alongside running her business and raising her children, she is undergoing cancer treatment and somehow, amongst all of that, she is fighting to create change that could help save other people’s lives.

This campaign deserves all of us behind it.

Ellie’s story

Ellie was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, but despite her diagnosis, she was refused genetic testing.

The testing available to her was based on generic criteria, rather than looking properly at Ellie as an individual and the circumstances surrounding her cancer.

Eventually, Ellie did receive genetic testing.

But by then, it was too late.

The results identified information that could have changed the course of her treatment had it been known sooner.

That is at the heart of Test Us Too.

Ellie cannot change what happened to her, but she is fighting incredibly hard to make sure other people don’t find themselves in the same position.

What is the Test Us Too campaign?

Test Us Too is calling for changes to genetic testing for younger cancer patients.

The campaign is asking for better access to genetic testing so that potentially important genetic information can be identified earlier rather than patients having to meet restrictive criteria or discovering it when their disease has already progressed.

Genetic information can be incredibly important in cancer care.

For some patients, identifying a genetic mutation can influence treatment options, help clinicians understand more about their cancer and provide important information for their family members who may also carry an inherited genetic risk.

This isn’t about testing for the sake of testing.

It’s about giving clinicians and patients potentially vital information at a point when there may still be time to act on it.

Why earlier testing matters

Cancer treatment has come an incredibly long way, and our understanding of genetics and cancer continues to develop.

But advances in science only have their full impact when patients can access them.

For someone diagnosed with cancer at a younger age, understanding whether there is an underlying genetic factor could have implications not only for their own treatment, but for their children, siblings and wider family too.

Ellie’s campaign is asking a very simple question:

If this information has the potential to influence someone’s treatment or identify risks for their family, why should they have to wait until it’s too late to find out?

A mum fighting for other families while fighting for her own

This is the part that has really stayed with us.

Ellie isn’t campaigning from the sidelines.

She is doing this while undergoing treatment herself.

She is a single mum raising four children. She is trying to keep her salon open. She has employees relying on the business she has built. She is navigating appointments, treatment and everything that comes with a cancer diagnosis.

And at the same time, she is putting her energy into trying to make the system better for the people who come after her.

Not because changing the system will undo what has happened to Ellie.

But because it might change what happens to somebody else.

It might give another patient an answer sooner.

It might give another family information they didn’t previously have.

And ultimately, it could save lives.

Why Katie Barnes Tool Range is supporting Test Us Too

Our community has always been about far more than the products we sell.

The nail industry is full of women running businesses, raising families, employing people and supporting one another through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

Ellie is part of that community.

When one of our own is using her voice to fight for something this important, we want to use ours alongside her.

We have an incredible community - our KB Army and we’ve seen what happens when that community gets behind something.

So this time, we’re asking you to get behind Ellie.

How you can help

Ellie’s petition needs signatures, and signing takes just a couple of minutes.

Please sign the Test Us Too petition and share it with your friends, family, clients, colleagues and social media followers.

You don’t need to work in the nail industry.

You don’t need to have been affected by cancer.

You simply need to believe that patients deserve access to the information that could help doctors make informed decisions about their care.

You can also follow and support Ellie and the Test Us Too campaign, helping her story reach people far beyond our own community.

One signature might feel small.

Thousands of signatures become very difficult to ignore.

Ellie, we’re behind you 💗

There are probably very few words that adequately describe what it takes to go through everything Ellie is facing and still decide to fight for strangers she may never meet.

But we want her to know one thing:

She isn’t fighting for this change alone.

We’re incredibly proud to stand beside Ellie and support Test Us Too.

Now we’re asking our community to stand beside her too.

Please sign. Please share. Please talk about it.

Because if changing the testing process could mean another person gets vital information earlier than Ellie did, this is a campaign worth fighting for.

Sign the Test Us Too petition

Petition: Require genetic testing for all cancer patients under 50 – Test Us Too

You can also follow Ellie’s journey and the Test Us Too campaign on her Facebook page.