Lew's BBQ owner Avery Lewis needs help

Avery “Lew” Lewis, the owner of Lew’s BBQ in Everett, Washington, was the subject of a fresh public appeal on September 8 after a local social-media post asked the community to help as he battles cancer. The post did not list fundraising totals or treatment dates, but it directed attention to Lewis’s health struggle and the strain on his restaurant. Separate reporting published in July and a live GoFundMe page provide the clearest public details on what Lewis and his family say they are facing. ### What did the September 8 appeal actually say? A September 8 post from local journalist Jonathan Choe said Lew’s BBQ owner Avery “Lew” Lewis was “battling cancer” and asked people in the Everett area to support him. The post described Lewis as a well-known figure in Everett’s restaurant community, but the message itself did not include a fundraising target, donation total or treatment timeline. (pugetpress.com) The social post matched details that had already appeared in a fundraiser and earlier local coverage, both of which identified Lewis by name and said his illness was affecting the business. ### What do public fundraising records say about Lewis’s diagnosis? Mia Lewis, who says she is Lewis’s daughter, wrote on GoFundMe that her father was diagnosed with rectal cancer. (youtube.com) She said doctors had set an “aggressive treatment plan” involving radiation and chemotherapy “right away.” The fundraiser said Lewis runs the restaurant “almost entirely by himself,” with help from his wife Karen, and that treatment would force a temporary closure of about one to two months. (pugetpress.com) Mia Lewis said the campaign was meant to help cover medical costs, household bills and restaurant overhead during that shutdown. ### How much money has been raised? The GoFundMe page showed $6,265 raised toward a $25,000 goal from 75 donations when it was accessed Tuesday. (gofundme.com) The page described the campaign as “Standing with Lew: Support for Lew’s BBQ & Cancer Battle.” GoFundMe pages can update throughout the day, and the September 8 social post did not repeat those figures. The fundraiser was organized by Mia Lewis on behalf of Avery Lewis, according to the page. (gofundme.com) ### Who is Avery “Lew” Lewis in Everett? Avery Lewis opened Lew’s BBQ on August 20, 2011, at Pacific and Fulton in Everett, My Everett News reported in a 2023 profile. (gofundme.com) The outlet said Lewis had previously worked as a correctional officer in Monroe and had spent years catering before opening the restaurant. My Everett News also reported that Lewis and his wife Karen were working at the business together and described his community outreach through “Feed the Need,” a local event offering food and other support. (gofundme.com) In that profile, Lewis said of the restaurant, “This is a lighthouse for the community.” ### Why is the restaurant’s situation part of the appeal? Mia Lewis said on the fundraiser page that Lew’s BBQ is both her father’s livelihood and a one-man operation, making treatment-related closure especially costly. (myeverettnews.com) She wrote that “when the doors close, the income stops — but the bills don’t.” Puget Press reported on July 21 that Lewis was temporarily closing Lew’s BBQ during treatment and that his family had launched the GoFundMe campaign for support. (myeverettnews.com) That report aligned with the family’s account that the illness was affecting both Lewis’s health and the business’s ability to stay open. ### Where can people follow the next step? The live fundraiser page remained active on September 8 under the name “Standing with Lew: Support for Lew’s BBQ & Cancer Battle,” with Mia Lewis listed as organizer for Avery Lewis. (gofundme.com) Public updates about Lewis’s treatment and the restaurant’s status were also being amplified through local social-media posts Tuesday. (pugetpress.com)