Can you imagine donating your newly won pinball machine to a stranger? Well, Kevin Lessig, manager of the Rivoli Apartments, can. A few weeks ago, he walked into Cafe Casbah down in Belltown and learned about the fundraiser for Tamara Myers, a University of Washington graduate student* who was diagnosed with an atrial fibrillation two years ago. Things recently got bad enough for Tamara that she needed surgery, but the graduate student insurance would only cover a portion of the cost, leaving her with well over $3000 in out of pocket costs.

So, Tamara’s sister ad friends had a fundraising party, and other businesses in the area got in on it, too. And that’s how Kevin fits into this story: he didn’t have cash to give, but he did have a game. Lessig had just won a 1981 Barracora classic pinball machine in the annual Shorty’s Pinball Tournament, and he offered the game up to the highest bidder. It sold over the weekend for $680.

So far, almost all of Tamara’s bills have been paid, and she has been blown away by the kindness of friends - and strangers. If you ask me, it’s pretty damned amazing, and inspiring.

*In the interest of fair disclosure, I should note that Tamara is affiliated with my major, the program of Comparative History of Ideas, and that CHID has been a part of the fundraising effort.