Fundraiser Launched To Help Ailing Boogie Board Inventor Tom Morey

SAN CLEMENTE (CBSLA) — The inventor of the Boogie Board is riding a wave of goodwill from friends and supporters as he fights for his health.

Tom Morey, the man behind the now-ubiquitous Morey boards that popularized the thrill of wave-riding for both kids and adults, has been left nearly blind after a string of eye issues and struggling to make ends meet, according to an online fundraising campaign.

The Friends Of Tom Morey campaign, which had raised more than $20,000 as of Tuesday morning, is "aimed at helping the ailing inventor back to health".

The funds will likely go primarily towards helping Morey pay rent on his San Clemente apartment and get treatment for his eyesight, according to the Orange County Register.

Morey made the first Boogie Board in his garage back nearly five decades ago, launching the body board wave that came crashing down on Southern California's beaches.

A University of Southern California graduate with degrees in music and mathematics, Morey started a company in the 1960s that commercialized the fin system on surf boards. He launched his first Boogie Board in 1971, and more than 20 million have been sold since.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)