If you are the type of person interested in weird stuff, than by now you probably heard about 32 year old Dede Kosawa, also known as ‘Tree Man’, as being one of the world’s most extraordinary people.
He lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, trying to care for them. Dede, a former fisherman, has an incredible skin condition: he has root like structures growing out of his body – branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body.
As strange as this guy might look he is after all a human, and just like anybody else he dreams about getting married one day. Dede told the Daily Telegraph website: “What I really want first is to get better and find a job. But then, one day, who knows? I might meet a girl and get married.”
Dede’s first wife left him and he lost his job because of his bizarre affliction.
At one point to feed his two children he joined a freak show with other victims of peculiar diseases.
But now, following a series of operations to cut away the tree-like growths, he can see the outline of his toes for the first time.
He has also become a sudoko addict now he can hold a pen.
He said he hopes that he will resume a normal life after two more operations to graft undamaged skin onto his hands, feet and face.
Since Dede cut his knee as a teenager, strange roots have been growing out of him.
A small wart developed on his lower leg and spread uncontrollably.
But last year US dermatology expert Dr Anthony Gaspari took up his case.
He concluded Dede’s odd affliction was caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection usually causing only small warts.
But in Dede’s case he had an extremely rare immune system deficiency, leaving his body unable to contain the warts.
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