The inventor of the popular board game Operation is in desperate need of money to pay for a real-life operation.
Friends of John Spinello, 77, are hoping to raise $25,000 (£15,400) on a crowdfunding site for oral surgery not covered by his insurance.
Mr Spinello sold the game for $500 in 1964 and is not entitled to royalties.
He is also planning an auction of the original prototype to raise additional money, according to the Huffington Post.
"John has had a good life, but has admitted to us that he is struggling to pay his bills and is in need of a medical procedure without sufficient insurance coverage," organisers Tim Walsh and Peggy Brown wrote on CrowdRise.com.
In the popular game players use tweezers to pull small plastic pieces representing medical ailments out of a "patient". If the tweezers hit the metal rims of the holes in the patient, the board emits a buzz and the player loses a turn.
Mr Spinello told the Huffington Post he was not resentful over the lack of royalties from the game, one of 12 finalists this year for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
"Look, everyone needs medical care," Mr Spinello told the website.
"I prefer not to dwell on that aspect and focus more on the joy that the game has brought to so many over the years."
Opperation opperation
Opperation opperation
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Opperation opperation
Total bullshit that he never got more than $500 for that most excellent concept, that drove my parents nuts and kept my brother and I in stitches over many a happy Saturday morning!
However, the bigger total bullshit is that he needs essential dental care that isn't covered by insurance. Dentists and physicians have realized for many years the link between oral health and overall health - people die from bad dental care, because of the link to heart disease/infection. It should be included in his coverage - our system is so stupid.
That being said, in honor of all those fun times playing Operation, I'm going to donate what I can to his care.
However, the bigger total bullshit is that he needs essential dental care that isn't covered by insurance. Dentists and physicians have realized for many years the link between oral health and overall health - people die from bad dental care, because of the link to heart disease/infection. It should be included in his coverage - our system is so stupid.
That being said, in honor of all those fun times playing Operation, I'm going to donate what I can to his care.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
