First US videogame champion, legendary programmer, and Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman is fundraising to deal with the costs of an aggressive cancer diagnosis

40-year games industry veteran Rebecca Heineman has started a GoFundMe to help deal with an aggressive cancer diagnosis, one whose costs are only partially covered by private insurance. Heineman’s career extends back to the days of Space Invaders, with credits on at least 71 games including The Bard’s Tale 3 and early ports of Doom and Baldur’s Gate 2.

Heineman began treatment and diagnostics following PAX West this year, and is set to start chemotherapy for cancer in her lungs and liver. Parts of Heineman’s treatment are covered by insurance, but she is also liable for overwhelming bills from out-of-network treatment.

“This is the fight for my life. Please help me,” Heineman wrote on the GoFundMe page. “I want to keep creating games and comics and I need your help to beat this cancer.”

In 1980, Heineman became the first formal US champion of any videogame, winning a national championship Space Invaders tournament in New York. She then entered the industry as a professional, starting a long and far-reaching career. Mobygames lists 67 games Heineman is credited on, but is also missing at least four of the 43 games listed on Heineman’s Wikipedia page, with potentially other omissions as well.

Alongside Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, Chris Wells, and Troy Worrell, Heineman co-founded Interplay, the ’80s-’90s megastudio that produced Fallout, Baldur’s Gate, The Bard’s Tale, Wasteland, and more. Heineman’s design credits at Interplay include Dragon Wars and The Bard’s Tale 3, but much of her work has been in programming, particularly ports.

Heineman’s work on the 3DO version of Doom has gotten a laudatory reappraisal in recent years⁠—not because it’s a particularly good port, but because it exists at all despite a nightmare development cycle. Heineman crunched for 10 weeks to make a working version of Doom for the wonky, failed console, all at the behest of a capricious businessman who bit off more than he could chew. Heineman went into detail about the story in a 2015 vlog about the project.

“There’s no getting around it, Doom for the 3DO is terrible,” Digital Foundry’s John Linneman said in a 2017 video about Doom’s console versions. “Doom is set to ship in time for Christmas, and the 3DO company is begging for help. Heineman accepts under the impression that much of the game is already done. But in reality, nothing was done.” Back in 2015, Heineman dumped the complete archive of 3DO Doom on GitHub, allowing modders and all five 3DO enthusiasts to go crazy with it.

Earlier this year, Gayming Magazine awarded Heineman its Gayming Icon Award, writing that, “As an out and proud trans woman in the games industry, she’s been a trailblazer. Not just behind the scenes, but on the front lines creating some of the most beloved franchises in video game history. Her advocacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion, accessibility, and diversity in tech has inspired countless developers and players.”

At the time of writing, Heineman’s campaign is sitting at nearly $29,000 of a $50,000 initial funding goal. You can help the campaign by donating directly or sharing her page on GoFundMe.