• This International Women’s Day, Boots is shining a light on the women within its family of team members and charity partners whose small acts have a big impact
• These women include Janine Beach, who spotted early signs of lung cancer in a patient, potentially saving their life
• Boots is also remembering women from its 175-year history like Florence Boot, who established Boots as a beauty destination from 1886 and Phyllis Twiss, its first female pharmacist

This International Women’s Day, Boots is celebrating everyday extraordinary women whose small acts have a big impact within their communities.

In the run up to the day, Boots asked its team members to nominate women from its family of team members and charity partners that inspire them and was overwhelmed by the response.

Women nominated include Janine Beach, a Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacist based in Glasgow.

Janine spotted signs of lung cancer in a patient who had come into the pharmacy with a cough that had persisted for 19 weeks. Janine recognised this as a red flag and advised for the patient to see her GP for a face-to-face appointment and provided a referral for the patient.

Three months later, the patient returned to the pharmacy to thank Janine for her level of compassion and care.  They had received a diagnosis of lung cancer, and said that if it was not for Janine, they may not be here today. 

Janine said: “I am really thrilled and a little overwhelmed at being nominated by my team members for this International Women’s Day initiative. To me, it’s just doing my job. It also highlights the benefits of the Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacist role and the additional training we get in cancer care and support and how much of a difference it can make to patients. I feel proud that I was able to help this patient in their cancer journey.”

Other women nominated include Jeanne Filosopo, a Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor in Weymouth who also volunteers for a local cancer support group called C’Siders, and Charlotte Whiteside, a Store Manager in Lymington who is also a volunteer for The Hygiene Bank and helps the charity to collect and distribute hygiene donations from Boots customers to those that need them.

Alongside celebrating its team members today, Boots is also remembering women throughout its history in its 175th anniversary year whose legacies live on. Like Florence Boot, who established Boots as a beauty destination from 1886, and Phyllis Twiss, the earliest female pharmacist recorded at Boots, who worked in a Liverpool store in the 1920s.

Learn more about how Boots cares for healthier communities through its strategic partnerships with Macmillan Cancer Support, The Hygiene Bank and The Prince’s Trust here.