T. W. Lewis Foundation supports Barrow in establishing new migraine program

(May 2017) - Jan Lewis is one of 37 million migraine sufferers in North America; she is no stranger to the debilitating and nauseating pain that would seclude her to a dark, quiet and cool room for days.

“I’d wake up in the morning and just know that I wouldn’t be able to leave my room that day,” says Jan. “The pain was overwhelming; I wasn’t able to function because of the migraines.”

Because of the outstanding care Jan has received, her involvement in the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation and her desire to help others, she and her husband Tom gifted $2 million though their family foundation, T.W. Lewis Foundation, to establish the Jan & Tom Lewis Migraine Treatment Program at Barrow Neurological Institute.

“T.W. Lewis Foundation is all about partnering with outstanding organizations that are pushing the boundaries of their field. We believe in supporting projects that are going to make a difference in people’s lives,” says Tom. “That’s exactly what Barrow does and what this migraine program will do for many Arizona migraine patients in the future.”

At its height, this developing program will enable three times more migraine patients to be seen by the Barrow team, the development of multidisciplinary patient care options and the startup of research and clinical trials that will improve treatments and cures.

As part of the Lewis’ transformational gift to establish the Jan & Tom Lewis Migraine Treatment Program, they will match dollar for dollar up to $500,000 to benefit migraine research. Support is needed to ensure that Barrow can make progress in discovering what causes migraines, how they can be detected earlier, and what the best course of treatment is for every person living with the pain and discomfort of migraines.