TANJUNG JAYA, Indonesia (Reuters Life!) - Sacked from his job,
deserted by his wife, shunned by neighbours -- "tree man" Dede has
been treated as a freak for most of his life because of the gnarled
growths sprouting from his hands and feet.
But now the 35-year-old Indonesian hopes a doctor in the United
States will be able to treat the horn-like extensions that started
appearing on his body when he was a teenager and which earned him
the "tree man" moniker.
Dede, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, first noticed
warts on his body after cutting his knee as a teenager.
"First it felt itchy and some warts appeared on my feet," Dede told
Reuters Television at his home in the small village of Tanjung Jaya
about 150 km (93 miles) south of Jakarta. "I neglected it and the
growths quickly covered all my body."
Unable to work because he cannot use his hands, and abandoned by
his wife, Dede lives in poverty with two teenage daughters.
"I can't go anywhere, I just stay here," he said because his hands
and feet are so heavy and cumbersome due to the growths.
He briefly joined a freak show in the nearby city of Bandung in
order to earn some money, but he is often the target of abuse and
ridicule in his village.
In 1993, he was admitted to a local hospital, but doctors could not
find a cure for his condition.
But now, an American doctor has proposed possible treatment.
According to media reports, Dr. Anthony Gaspari from University of
Maryland tested Dede's blood and said that the growths are the
result of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection
that usually causes small warts.
Dr. Gaspari, who became involved in the case through a Discovery
Channel documentary, believes Dede's condition can be cleared up
using daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been
shown to arrest the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV,
according to media reports.
