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Half man - half tree


Raptor

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With his rootlike feet and gnarled hands, he is known as "The Tree Man".

Living in a remote village in the wilderness of Indonesia, 36-year-old father-of-two Dede has stunned medical experts. Most of his body is covered in growths which have become so large and thick they look like twisted tree roots growing out of his skin. Dede says his worst fear is that the cruel disorder will kill him before doctors have a chance to save him.

Dede grew up in a tiny hamlet near Bandung, south of Jakarta, the capital of the volcanic island of Java. He enjoyed a completely normal childhood, but just after he turned 15 he cut his knee in an accident on a building site. The injury - not deemed to be at all serious at the time - was to change his life forever. Within weeks, a huge growth had emerged from inside his wound. He says at first he was not unduly worried, believing it was a wart which would eventually drop off.

But it didn't. And shortly afterwards, horrific welts started to spring up all over his body.

Source: Sunday Mirror

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EDIT: Follow-up story:

Tree man 'who grew roots' may be cured

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.

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.

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."

Source: Telegraph

Edited by Raptor X7
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OMG...I have never seen or read anything like this in my life....I'm not a professional but it looks as though it has gone beyond treatment....Thanks for the link...this is something I definitely want to watch on Thursday....

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Eeeeeegads! That is so....eh, just icky. I feel sorry for him. I hope the doctors can help him.

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I'm speechless. I have no real words for this.

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Wow, I hope that he can get the help he needs before it is too late. :(
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O.o < Speechless . Will he have seed? does he have both reproduction organ?

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O.o < Speechless . Will he have seed? does he have both reproduction organ?

:lol: He isn't really part tree, I was kidding. It's a disease.

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Oh wow, if you read the full article, some doctors believe it might be a very very rare form of HPV or warts. Probably a combination of a genetic condition and a virus his body isn't able to fight off. Since it's viral, it might be very difficult to cure. Sounds like he's going to get some help from the university of Maryland though. i hope they can relive some of his suffering. At least allow him to care for himself and children.

That's just wild.

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wasnt this/isnt this going to be on the discovery chanel in "my shocking story"

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:lol: He isn't really part tree, I was kidding. It's a disease.

yeah. I know. just playing around there.. but hey.. poor guy.. hope the doctors will find a cure.

" but for now " I"ll find a Machine Polisher and try to get that thing off of him,.

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wasnt this/isnt this going to be on the discovery chanel in "my shocking story"

Yep, this Thursday, the 15th....Check your local listings for time :)

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Whoa, that's freaky lookin... I bet he could throw a bomb Halloween party... :w00t:

But in all seriousness, I hope he can get the help he needs for that condition. I know I'd be bugging out if those things started sprouting off of me... :unsure2:

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yeah. I know. just playing around there.. but hey.. poor guy.. hope the doctors will find a cure.

" but for now " I"ll find a Machine Polisher and try to get that thing off of him,.

((shudders))

((walks the other way))

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Some of the weird things that happen to people are incredible! I really hope they can help this man!

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Oh my god, that poor guy! I really, really hope that Dr. can find something to cure him.

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I just may be a bit too callous and insensitive, but I just couldnt look at that picture for too long. Jeeez thats sooo creepy.

:unsure2:

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I just may be a bit too callous and insensitive, but I just couldnt look at that picture for too long. Jeeez thats sooo creepy.

:unsure2:

No, I felt the same way. I got kinda sick to my stomach. I could never be in the medical profession, I have such a weak stomach. :hmm:

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Just added a follow up article that was released today to the top of the thread. A doctor who studied him diagnosed him with Human Papilloma Virus, which is pretty common. His case is so severe because of a rare condition affecting his immune system, but they're confident he can be cured. :)

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I just may be a bit too callous and insensitive, but I just couldnt look at that picture for too long. Jeeez thats sooo creepy.

:unsure2:

I felt the same and then I felt wicked for feeling like that :(

I am glad he can be cured, I just read Raptor's last posting :tsu:

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