The body of 35-year-old fisherman Dede, nicknamed “Tree Man”, has been ravaged by a rare virus that has caused enormous root-like “cutaneous horns” to grow from his arms and legs. The warts became so large that he could not work, walk properly or use his hands.

Dede, who lives in the village of Tanjung Jaya about 100 miles south of the capital Jakarta, first noticed the growths after he cut his knee as a teenager. In 1993, he was taken to a hospital but doctors where unable to find a cure.

Ray of hope

Dede’s rare disease has effectively ruined his life. He lost his job, his wife left him and he was reduced to begging on the streets to make ends meet. Thankfully, an American doctor who took an interest in his plight believes he can cure the stricken Indonesian.

Dr Anthony Gaspari, tested Dede’s blood and concluded that the growths are caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection that usually results in small warts. He believes Dede's condition can be cleared up using daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which halts the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.

Sadly, Gaspari’s desire to provide humanitarian help to a needy individual could be stopped by the government bureaucracy. Indonesia's health minister Siti Fadilah Supari lambasted the doctor for taking Dede’s blood and tissue samples back the US, saying they could be used to make vaccines that the poor could not afford. Dr Gaspari insisted his sole motivation was getting treatment for Dede and finding a cure for his rare affliction.