Inventor of Operation Board Game Can’t Afford Surgery, Needs Your Help

Score one for irony.

John Spinello, who invented the iconic board game Operation, does not have the $25,000 required to pay for oral surgery he needs.

Spinello, 77, sold the game to a toy company in 1964 for a paltry $500 and never received another dime for it.

His friends have now started a Crowdrise page to help Spinello pay for his surgery. They say he isn't bitter about the fact he didn't make a lot of money off the game, but urge people to help him out.

In addition to the crowdsourcing approach, Spinello will also donate the Operation prototype sometime in December.