Salute The Sun on the first day of summer

To mark the first day of summer, yogis from across Sydney will gather on Wednesday 1 December at sunrise for the inaugural Salute the Sun event in a show of respect designed to raise awareness around the impacts of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Australia’s favourite yoga instructor Kate Kendall from Flow Athletic will be teaching the session to raise awareness and help to raise funds for this beautiful foundation.

The Neil Evans Melanoma Foundation was created by Neil's long-time partner Sonia Nazaretian after she lost Neil this year.

About the Neil Evans Fund

Neil was 44 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 after a mole that he had on his belly button since birth began to change. Despite seeking attention from his GP on several occasions the mole was only diagnosed as an infection because it was A symptomatic ie did not look like a typical Melanoma. It was only after surgery to remove the mole as it had grown too large, when the biopsy identified it as an advanced stage melanoma. Whilst we know that prolonged exposure to UV can be a cause for skin cancer, so too can genetic mutations where is can lie dormant and be triggered later on in life .

Sonia has decided to do something with her grief, by setting up an inaugural fundraising event that will take place on the first day of summer starting this year. She has also set up a foundation - Neil Evans Melanoma Foundation | Helping patients with melanoma which is a first-of-its-kind patient fund, where money raised will directly fund vital treatment paths for patients and help remove financial barriers that exist for many today.

The Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) has endorsed the new Melanoma Patient Fund.