At Beat Melanoma, the Australian movement proudly powered by the Neil Evans Melanoma Foundation (NEMF), honouring Neil Evans’ legacy means doing everything we can to prevent other families from experiencing the loss, fear, and financial strain that melanoma brings.
It means raising awareness, supporting patients who are navigating treatment, and reminding our community that early detection and daily protection really does save lives.
This summer, protect the people you love
While Neil’s final wish before his passing in 2021 was ‘to give people with melanoma every chance to beat their cancer, without financial barriers’, our ultimate mission remains simple: to beat melanoma, for good.
Overexposure to UV causes a staggering 95% of melanomas. So vigilantly practising sun safety – Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide – is the first line of defence against all skin cancer, including melanoma.
This means:
- Covering our bodies with protective clothing
- Wearing (and regularly re-applying) a good quality sunscreen
- Throwing a hat on whenever you head out
- Seeking shade where possible (shade alone can reduce UV exposure by up to 75%!)
- Remembering your sunnies
Beyond sun safety, regular skin checks are another proactive step we can take as individuals to minimise late-stage melanoma diagnoses like Neil’s.
Scanning your own skin and keeping an eye out for irregularities is a start, but you should also be having regular skin exams, even if they are simply with your GP during a routine health check.
There are now over 740 Accredited Skin Cancer Doctors in Australia. These are GPs who have completed specialised advanced training in the detection and treatment of skin cancers, including melanoma.
You can also now calculate your risk of developing melanoma using this cutting-edge melanoma risk calculator.
Supporting advanced melanoma patients. Honouring Neil. Saving lives.
Thanks to your ongoing support, we have now been able to provide direct financial assistance to well over a dozen melanoma patients across Australia; people facing unexpected costs during what is anyway a period of profound emotional stress and the potential loss of income.
Your collective donations, fundraising efforts, and sharing our mission have made a real difference.
In 2025, your generosity has helped us:
- Provide urgent financial support to patients and families experiencing hardship
- Expand community awareness efforts
- Grow our supporter base
- Smash our $25K 2025 City2Surf fundraising goal
- Strengthen our partnerships and the programs that drive impact
Every contribution, big or small, has helped lighten someone’s load during one of the hardest moments of their life.
For this, we say thank you.
A simple summer reminder
This summer, as UV levels climb and days grow longer, please take care in the sun! Gently remind the people you love to do the same. Wear SPF every day. Reapply often. Book a skin check. Share stories, and encourage your children, loved ones, colleagues, friends, and neighbours to stay sun safe.
Protecting your skin is truly an act of love.
Thank you for being part of the Beat Melanoma community. Thank you for walking alongside us, near and far! And thank you for helping us keep Neil’s legacy alive.
A message from NEMF Founder (and Neil’s partner), Sonia Nazaretian:
Neil, wherever you are, I hope you are smiling and at peace. Whilst I miss you deeply, I am more grateful that I met you, and that your presence continues to live on in the lives you touched. Thank you, Neil, for reminding me that love and legacy endure beyond time. Your spirit is forever extraordinary.
