Gaming pioneer Rebecca Heineman diagnosed with cancer, launches GoFundMe: ‘I want to keep creating games’

Rebecca Heineman, a trailblazer in the video game industry and developer of over 70 titles including The Bard’s Tale III, has revealed she is battling aggressive adenocarcinoma, a form of cancer that has already spread to her lungs and liver.

Rebecca Heineman has been diagnosed with aggressive adenocarcinoma.(GoFundMe/ Rebecca Heineman)

In an emotional post on her GoFundMe page, Heineman shared that the diagnosis has left her nearly bedridden and in constant pain.

“I’m in pain. I’ve been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma a few weeks ago and I went from being an active outgoing computer nerd into a nearly bedridden cancer patient who is non stop exhausted,” she wrote.

Diagnosis

Heineman first suspected something was wrong while attending PAX Prime, where she found herself out of breath after climbing a single flight of stairs. After returning home to Dallas, she sought emergency care and discovered 2,300ml of fluid in her lung cavity.

“They drained another 1600ml a week later. After cat scans, X-rays, and blood tests they finally found that the cancer is in my lungs and liver,” she wrote.

Although some of her treatment is covered by private insurance, Heineman says many of her providers are out of network, resulting in massive medical bills.

“Insurance is helping, but some of my treatment are out of network so I’m getting huge bills,” she wrote. “My cancer is aggressive so to say I’m scared is an understatement, I get a chemo port installed 10/6/2025 and then they begin filling me with chemo drugs.”

A 40-year veteran of the gaming industry, Heineman is a founding member of Interplay Productions and MacPlay.

In just two days, her $75,000 GoFundMe goal has nearly been met, with supporters already contributing almost $60,000

“This is the fight for my life. Please help me. I want to keep creating games and comics and I need your support to beat this cancer,” she concluded.