The ‘Tree Man of Java’ is hoping to get married after doctors performed four
major operations to hack away the bark-like tissue sprouting from his hands and
feet.
For 20 years Dede Koswara lived covered in warts with huge tree-like growths
encasing his limbs.
Today Dede, whose plight
was highlighted on the Telegraph website, can once more use his hands and
walk without pain.
He can see the outline of his toes for the first time in over a decade after
medics cut more than 4lbs of warty horns from his legs and feet.
He has also become a sudoko addict now medics have cut growths from his hands
allowing him to hold a pen.
Dede, 37, now hopes that he will resume a normal life after two more
operations to graft undamaged skin onto his hands, feet and face.
Speaking from an Indonesian hospital, he said: "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 ordeal began when he was 15 and cut his knee in an accident. A small
wart developed on his lower leg and spread uncontrollably.
Eventually he had to give up work as a builder and fisherman, and scratch a
living in a traveling freak show. His wife of ten years left him as it became
impossible for him to support her and their two children.
Late last year, however, Dede’s plight was highlighted on Telegraph.co.uk and
in a Discovery Channel documentary.
The documentary team took American dermatology expert Dr Anthony Gaspari to
Indonesia to see if he could find a cure.
Dr Gaspari, of the University of Maryland, concluded Dede’s affliction was
caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection usually
causing only small warts.
Dede’s problem was that he has an extremely rare immune system deficiency,
leaving his body 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 causing tree-like growths known as "cutaneous
horns".
Indonesian health officials have suggested that the mysterious immune problem
may occur in as few as 200 people worldwide.
Dede’s counts of a key type of white blood cell were so low that Dr Gaspari
initially suspected he may have the Aids virus.
Immediately after the documentary was aired, a row seemed to be brewing over
Dede’s treatment. The Indonesian government was worried that Dr Gaspari had
taken blood and tissue samples abroad without official authorisation.
This was resolved, and Dr Gaspari has revisited Indonesia to meet the health
minister Dr Siti Fadilah Supari. He is now liaising with the doctors caring for
Dede at the Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, West Java.
Dr Lily Sulityowati, from the Indonesian Health Department, said: "Once Dr
Gaspari met with the minister and explained all, we were happy to work with
him."
Dede went under the knife for his first operation in January. In the most
recent operation, in March, doctors removed growths on his feet. The medics are
now trying to ensure that the warts don’t grow back.
Dede is taking vitamin A tablets to boost his immune system, and Dr Gaspari
is hoping to get expensive anti-viral medicine available only in the US.
Dr Rachmat Dinata, the skin specialist leading the Indonesian doctors, said
the final phase of operations should be completed in around three months. They
will take skin from Dede’s back and thigh and graft it onto damaged areas.
Dr Dinata said: "There is still a high risk that there will be a recurrent
growth of warts. So far, though, there has been some thickening of the skin, but
no recurrent warts. Dede is very happy. Hopefully he will be able to socialise
and work again."
For now, Dede is passing the time in hospital doing sudoko puzzles. Skin
grafts on his hands will allow him better movement in his fingers, but he can
already punch numbers into a telephone and talk to friends.
His father Ateng, 72, said: "You can see the form of his 10 toes now. He can
wear flip flops. He loves doing sudokos. He is in good condition."
Ateng added: "The first priority is to get cured and get a job, but as a
father, of course I want my son to remarry. He is a normal guy and he is still a
young man."
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Not trying to be rude but that looks like it got to hurt, I will pray for him, and his Family
20 Jul 08 at 9:59 p #