A man in Indonesia has come to be known as "Tree Man" because his hands and feet resemble the roots of a tree. The root-like growths are long warts believed to be caused by Human Papillomavirus and inhibit the man from performing even the most basic of everyday tasks.
Possible Cure
On November 15, 2008, the Discovery Channel aired a story on the tree man, entitled My Shocking Story: Half Man Half Tree. Anthony Gaspari, a dermatologist from the University of Maryland, examined Koswara for the program. Gaspari theorized that the tree man's warts could be reduced by daily doses of synthetic vitamin A.
Koswara was admitted to hospital in January of 2008 and had undergone procedures which had removed 13 pounds of warts from his body by the time he was OKd to return home in August 2008.
Only months following the 2008 surgeries which removed many of the warts which hindered his dexterity, the HPV horns had grown back, once again inhibiting the tree man's ability to live independently. An Indonesian doctor claims that he would have further operations in December 2008 or early 2009 to remove any returning wart growth.Reuters: Indonesia's "tree man" faces new operations (December 19, 2008)
Featured Video
Tree Man Blogs and Commentaries
- Discovery Channel: My Shocking Story Half Man Half Tree
References
Fast Facts
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Name
Dede Koswara
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Age
37
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Fact:
Single father of two
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Fact:
Warts started to appear after Koswara cut his knee at 15 years old
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Fact:
Condition is believed to be life-threatening
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Fact:
Lost his wife and job because of the disease
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Fact:
Joined a freak show to earn money
