Tree man ‘who grew roots’ may be cured
Matthew Moore
telegraph.co.uk
November 13, 2007
An Indonesian fisherman who feared that he would be killed by tree-like growths covering his body has been given hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.
Dede, now 35, baffled medical experts when warty “roots” began growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident.
Dr Anthony Gaspari believes that he has diagnosed Dede’s rare condition
Sacked from his job and deserted by his wife, Dede has been raising his two children - now in their late teens - in poverty, resigned to the fact that local doctors had no cure for his condition.
To make ends meet he even joined a local “freak show”, parading in front of a paying audience alongside victims of other peculiar diseases.
Although supported by his extended family, he was often a target of abuse and ridicule in his rural fishing village.
But now an American dermatology expert who flew out to Dede’s home village south of the capital Jakarta claims to have identified his condition, and proposed a treatment that could transform his life.
After testing samples of the lesions and Dede’s blood, Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland concluded that his affliction is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.
Dede’s problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system, meaning his body is unable to contain the warts.
The virus was therefore able to “hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells”, ordering them to produce massive amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as “cutaneous horns” on his hands and feet.
Dede’s counts of a key type of white blood cell are so low that Dr Gaspari initially suspected he may have the Aids virus.
But tests showed he did not, and it became clear that Dede’s immune condition was something far rarer and more mysterious.
Warts aside, he had enjoyed remarkable good health throughout his life - which would not be expected of someone with a suppressed immune system - and neither his parents nor his siblings have shown signs of developing lesions.
“The likelihood of having his deficiency is less than one in a million,” Dr Gaspari told the Telegraph.
Dede with his teenage daughter. He fears that his two children may also become infected
Dr Gaspari, who became involved in the case through a Discovery Channel documentary, believes that Dede’s condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been shown to arrest the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.
“He won’t have a perfectly normal body but the warts should reduce in size to the point where he could use his hands,” Dr Gaspari said.
“Over the course of three to six months the warts should be come smaller and fewer in number. He will be living a more normal life.”
The most resilient warts could then be frozen off and the growths on his hands and feet surgically removed.
Dr Gaspari hopes to get the necessary drugs free of charge from pharmaceutical firms. They would then be administered by Indonesian doctors under his supervision.
Still intrigued by the origins of Dede’s peculiar immune condition, the doctor would like to fly him to the United States for further examination, but fears the financial and bureaucratic barriers would prove too difficult to overcome.
“I would like to bring him to the US to run tests on where his immune condition has come from, but I would need funding and to get him a visa as well as someone to cover the costs of the tests,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.”
# “Half Man Half Tree”, part of the “My Shocking Story” series, will be shown on the Discovery Channel at 9pm on Nov 15.
Discuss it on the Outlaw Forums
November 13th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
November 13th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Wow, intense article! Very interesting and intriguing. Thanks,
Nathan
November 15th, 2007 at 4:59 am
Very interesting, must have been quite a burden to live with and yet his eyes doesnt seem dead. Like most or some westernes do if they just have the flu its like theire world is going down:-)
Great article thanks for sharing…
November 15th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
dang!
November 15th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
This could be easily cured with Oxygen or Ozone as Viruses, Bacteria nor fungus can live in an environment where there is enough oxygen! Look up Ed McCabe’s info on oxygen………
November 15th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Looks fake!
November 16th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
why don’t they Leaf him alone?
November 17th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
This has left me stumped!
November 17th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
leaf him alone… ha ha ha!!! damn that´s funny. haa haa haa!!!
November 18th, 2007 at 6:11 am
please help..!
November 18th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
OMFG H4X!!!!!!!
November 21st, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Seems like they are getting to the root of the problem. One would have thought he’d bark about this a long time ago.
November 22nd, 2007 at 6:55 pm
TREE MASTER
November 24th, 2007 at 6:53 am
This is what happens in a country which has:-
(a) no social saftey net
(b) no universial health care - for the rich and poor alike…
(c) in any developed country this would never have gotten so severe; no wonder Dr G has never seen anything like it in is whole career.
Everyone reading this story should give 50cent to a $1 - Dr G would have his funding to get this man to his surgery and give him some quality of life.
And I would like to mention in that same country lives the worlds wealthiest man, The Sultan of Burnei - who for example has 24gold carat taps - obcene wealth is truly worse than the above disease/affliction.
November 25th, 2007 at 2:34 am
This man is from my country Indonesia not brunei, and it is real as the health minister has come to visit him in the government hospital recently. According to local news, he has been treated in hospitals for more than a year in 1996 but the doctors back then give up. Well, many ppl still lives in poverty and earn as less as US$1 a day.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:47 am
People who have made ironic jokes containing things like “leaf”, “bark” & “root” should be ashamed of themselves. This is a human being who has children & parents and also has already lost his ability to live a normal life. This could happen to anyone. Instead of ridiculing him, all of us should try to contact our local gov’t officials and university hospitals for a contribution.
Such a simple thing should not be so hard. We take it for granted because we live in the USA.
What a terrible wife. We should be ridiculing her. How could she desert him like that? Leaving him to support their kids? That wife should be working to assist in supporting their kids. She should be ashamed of herself! Don’t try to come back when he is cured!
November 27th, 2007 at 12:59 am
I feel sorry for him, I really do. It’s pitiful. But I have a question. How does he get the clothes on over his feet and hands? I seen a video of him on You Tube. They said it was a rare form of leprosy. So I dunno.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Il go out on a limb il bet his penis looks like a mighty oak
December 20th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
i have just seen the program on discovery and it said at the end the dr managed to raise the funding to treat him but he did not take up the offer. it said he stayed with the circus who were exploiting him in a ‘freak show’. does anyone know if he eventually started taking the medication?
January 18th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I saw the special on this on TLC. The Dr. was able to get the donations to treat the guy- but he declined the medical treatment! Anyone heard any updates since then?
February 21st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
dude it must seriously suck to be him i dont think i could live with myself after something like this life would be so hard and to be displayed like a freak is horrible but at least some one is helping get him money for his family
February 25th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Has he moved to the city to find work or did he put down roots in his village???
March 14th, 2008 at 3:48 am
this is very sad and the people making the jokes should have that happen to them. I hope he makes it.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:59 am
omg that pooor guy!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 6:59 am
omg that pooor guy!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 6:59 am
omg that pooor guy!!!
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
is he barking mad? pff
April 14th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
That is so sad, people shouldnt be nasty about the poor guy, hopefully he gets better…
fingers crossed.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Wow, what a group of sick and selfish individuals we have here, and all of them American i’ll bet. Funny, huh? Yeah, your IQ score must be so low it’s funny too. And we wonder why people around the world refer to us as “Stupid American Pigs.” If you think this is that funny, how about i bring over a cudgel and see if it’s funny when your kneecaps are broken? Would that make you laugh?
I didn’t think so. Oh, and if you’re an American who is actually sensitive to the plight of others, you have my thanks for defending this poor man.
J
April 29th, 2008 at 2:48 am
I have only just heard about this in April 2008, 5 months later. Updates? is funding still needed for this man? We should all help if it is. Also we need to look at ourselves and our attitudes towards ‘freaks’. We are all human beings staying for a time inside flesh and bone bodies which sometimes vary from the norm…just like nature.If everyone who paid out for cosmetic surgery made a small donation on top it could go to a fund to help people, mostly 3rd world, who are ostracised because of rare diseases, cleft palates, port wine stains etc. We look at the physical…the real human shame is our lack of compassion and acceptance. Come back to me on this please!
April 30th, 2008 at 4:54 am
I too would very much like to donate some money to this gentleman.
Please leave a site or address where we can donate.
With a lot of hope for recovery.
Jackie x
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
He has a condition called “Lewandowsky-Lutz Dysplasia” or “Lutz’ syndrome,” an autosomal recessive genetic disorder which causes this type of skin disease, through a human papillomavirus and constant exposure to sunlight, developing into cutaneous horns. Most severe in areas of the human body containing keratin, a byproduct of bone tissue, such as fingernails and toenails.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:28 am
I fucking love tree man…he has the biggest penis i have ever seen, and really knows how to treat a women in the bedroom department…he got deep inside me..n i loved that shit…his hands were all over me…it was so so erotic….he also comes like a motherfucker!!!!!!! god damn fuck tree man
May 13th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I am tree man… I have learned to enjoy my tree like hands.
HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA
May 13th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I DID NOT DO THIS!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
WTF THATZ INSAIN!!
May 27th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
wow. thats gross man.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
thats f**kin insaine!!!!!!
August 25th, 2008 at 8:25 am
hei dude, give him pity, its not fake ok, and dont tease him but pray for him to cure, he was left alone by his wife and children and can’t resist with those injuries, if those spot’s of tree it his eye, yea that is big trouble, but just pray for him to be normal ok? and help the Indonesian to be healthy like us.(he needs a cure)
October 7th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
now this is a true tree hugger.but on the briteside he wnt have to worry about his clothes staying wet because his hands will soak it up!!!
FAKE ASS SHIT!!!!!!
December 12th, 2008 at 1:28 am
I just knew about the “tree man” and was searching on net for his info..
For those who had been so stupidly insane by posting bad comment here, you should be ashame of yourself.
He is a human being just like you. At least he is more human in heart.
December 20th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Hey, he’s ACTUALLY HAVE THE DISEASE! He’s not faking it, for God’s sake!
I’m from Indonesian, and I have met him several times in my city, Bandung.
He once lived in Bandung, and, yeah, be a poor beggar, near the center of the city (Alun-alun). I didn’t know if he’s coming from his village in Jakarta. What a pity…, people always frightened when he crawled just to move (walk), as if he would want to reach them and spread the disease…
But this man was a nice beggar, and also still full of life. He didn’t disturb the passers by. I’m quite an “human observer”, and nearly almost everyday when the weather’s fine (I don’t know if rainy seasons makes his disease even worse or not) that he sat quietly near The Masjid Agung (the city mosque) with his hat on.
I hope he’s doing better now with the disease, and I beg you, smart Americans, especially the doctors, do not take these people only as experiments, or just to make highlights of your medical career. help to cure them! Because God’s hands truly come within yours, the doctors.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I am an american college student, i am like the rest of you, i enjoy partying and having a good time. But i am just shocked to read the rude mean disturbing comments from you pigs. This poor man did not do anything to deserve this and all you assholes can do it make jokes about this tree man, instead of smoking crack or whatever drugs you assholes abuse donate some money to cure this guy and others like him I saw a page about another man in eastern Europe we need to help these people. It just makes me so sad on how evil some of the people in this world are, listen to the songs of Bob Marley and give with your hearts people.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Okay, it’s really sad when people from america let the other countries opinion on us really reflect, by acting like complete and total Idiots. Yeah, I’m an american, and proud, but I have pity for this dude, just like everyone else, just not pity for the naive kids that like to leave stupid little comments on here just to get attention from other readers. Here you go, children. Your attention you wanted.
This man does have a condition, or else they wouldn’t put him in the hospital and spend money on him, and making stupid little comments like “bark”, or crap like that, does nothing but make yourselves look idiotic and ignorant, which you are. Have some sense, and grow up. Wait till you get out of puberty, and your voice stops changing and sounding like a four year old, Then start thinking of the big picture, and quit being so selfish. That’s why everyone hates us americans, because of stupid stuff like this that you guys like to do. Thanks guys. Way to go.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HAVE THE COURTESY TO UPDATE THOSE OF US WHO ARE GENUINELY CONCERNED AND WANT TO HELP OR OTHERWISE KNOW HE HAS BEEN HELPED AND THAT DEDE IS NOT STILL SUFFERING.
To him and his girls I pray for healing and help. I don’t have much money to live on day to day but so many do and live in prosperous(even in a recession) countries in North America. If there is true evil and sin in this - it is in the people who have mocked and looked down on and found entertainment in his suffering. There is a place in hell for you and your lives will continue empty and fruitless and you will reap what you sow - becoming the true losers and pathetic creatures of misery that end up alone and loveless yourselves. At least this man and his girls have hundreds of thousands of people care and are concerned and love him as a child of God and human being….this is something you will never earn as long as you continue to demean those suffering and mocking the plights of those who are suffering.
DeDe - please know there are thousands praying for you and your family and we respect you and admire you ability to smile and continue to fight. God Bless you DeDe you are loved just as you are, Perfect in the eyes of your creator and those of us who see below the surface. Peace be with you each day.
Sincerely,
Beth
Toronto, Canada
August 7th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
we hate the ppl who talked bad about tree man if anything i hope karma gets all of the ppl who have wrote negative comments because you ppl have no respect and it is a sad thing that had happened to someone if it happened to you, then you wouldnt want no one to say anything bad about you so think about what you type first assholes.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
To those of you who have asked for updates on Dede please click on the link below. Dede has gone through several surgeries and has gone through a quite remarkable transformation as may of his warts/dead skin has been removed.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MedicalMysteries/story?id=5535375&page=1
This is the link