Thirty-five-year-old Murtala Saheed is wallowing in utter anguish no thanks to a life-threatening heart problem. And he may not smile again unless an urgent surgical operation is done to rescue him from the brink of death.

The Kwara State indigene from Ilorin East Local Government Area was a hard-working spray painter who would not tolerate idleness. Today, he is bed-ridden as his relations are in desperate search for succour.

When suddenly, Saheed became dull and weak, he never believed he was on a journey through anguish. He knew better when he got frequently dizzy, resulting in fainting. His ebullience snapped, leading to health complications that neither he nor anyone else understood.

The artisan searched for solutions at various hospitals in Lagos, where he was working. But after spending nearly N1 million on tests and drugs without any improvement, Saheed's family took him back to Kwara State, where he was rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for further diagnoses. There, he was confirmed to have a chronic heart complication. His hospital number at the UITH is 549216.

Saheed's step-brother, Mr Kareem Kayode, explained that the family had been spending a lot of money on his treatment, adding that the patient requires N5million for his operation abroad, logistics inclusive.

A consultant cardiologist, Dr Philips Kolo, certified the patient's ailment.

In a note, he wrote on Saheed's condition: "The above-named is a 35-year-old man with initial complications of recurring fainting, dizziness and body weakness. A clinical examination revealed that he has a congenital heart disease (a hole in the heart), which has been confirmed by echocardiography. He needs an open-heart surgery as a definitive treatment of this condition in India."

Those willing to assist Saheed to live a normal life again, Kayode said, could send their widow's mite through two bank accounts: Abdulquadri Abdulkareem Kayode, GTBank Plc, number: 1006908552 or Mr Saheed Alabi, GTBank Plc, number: 0035221169.