# Barry Oursler Asks Pinball Community for Help

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2014-01-27  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/oursler.html

---

## Analysis

Pinball legend Barry Oursler appeals to the community for financial help after he was diagnosed with bone cancer in February 2013 and his wife Donna suffered kidney failure in July 2013, leaving them unable to afford treatment costs and dialysis transport. As of the article date, over $12,880 had been raised through a GoFundMe campaign from 173 contributors.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Barry Oursler diagnosed with bone cancer in February 2013 — _Direct statement in article from Barry's Facebook appeal_
- [HIGH] Donna Oursler diagnosed with kidney failure in July 2013 — _Direct statement in article from Barry's Facebook appeal_
- [HIGH] Donna requires dialysis three times per week with significant transport costs — _Explicitly stated in article describing treatment burden_
- [HIGH] Over $12,880 raised from 173 individuals and organizations by article date — _Stated as current fundraising total at time of article publication_
- [HIGH] Barry Oursler designed Space Shuttle, considered the saviour of pinball in battle against video games — _Article attribution of his design legacy_

### Notable Quotes

> "Barry explained how following his diagnosis with bone cancer in February last year and his wife Donna's kidney failure in July, the costs of treatment and transport for Donna's three-times-a-week dialysis have left them in a desperate financial condition."
> — **Article author summarizing Barry Oursler's Facebook appeal**, 27th January 2014
> _Core statement of the health crisis and financial hardship that prompted the community appeal_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Barry Oursler | person | Legendary pinball designer; diagnosed with bone cancer February 2013; appealing for financial community support |
| Donna Oursler | person | Barry's wife; diagnosed with kidney failure July 2013; requires three-times-weekly dialysis |
| Space Shuttle | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler; described as saviour of pinball in its battle against video games |
| Comet | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler |
| Cyclone | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler |
| Hurricane | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler (part of trilogy) |
| Pinbot | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler |
| Jackbot | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler |
| Dirty Harry | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler |
| Doctor Who | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler |
| Junkyard | game | Pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler; his last design |
| GoFundMe | organization | Fundraising platform where Barry and Donna Oursler set up donations page |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Community support and charity, Health crisis
- **Secondary:** Designer biography and legacy

### Sentiment

**Negative** (0.25) — Article conveys serious health crises and financial hardship affecting a beloved community figure, tempered slightly by community support response demonstrated through fundraising success

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Pinball community responded significantly to Barry Oursler's fundraising appeal, with 173 individuals and organizations contributing over $12,880 within timeframe of article (confidence: high) — More than $12,880 had been raised by contributions from 173 individuals and organisations

---

## Transcript

Date: 27th January, 2014

Pinball designer Barry Oursler has made a plea to the pinball community for help following ill health struck down both him and his wife Donna, leaving their finances in a parlous state.

Through a posting on Facebook, Barry explained how following his diagnosis with bone cancer in February last year and his wife Donna's kidney failure in July, the costs of treatment and transport for Donna's three-times-a-week dialysis have left them in a desperate financial condition.

Barry and Donna Oursler

Barry is renowned for his classic pinball designs which include the Comet, Cyclone and Hurricane trilogy, Pinbot and Jackbot, Dirty Harry, Doctor Who, and his last design; Junkyard. He also designed the game frequently considered to be the saviour of pinball in its battle against video games - Space Shuttle.

Barry Oursler

(picture: Barry's Facebook page)

He appealed for any financial assistance people are able to give and has set up a donations page on the GoFundMe website.

Barry and Donna's GoFundMe page

At the time of this article, more than $12,880 had been raised by contributions from 173 individuals and organisations.

If you would like to support Barry and Donna, click the image above to go to the fund raising page.

Back to the News page
Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends:

Back to the front page

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 1fb4b9da-8e0e-4441-b63e-e55e2908e4d6*