The Indonesian Tree man

Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV), also known as treeman syndrome, is an extremely rare autosomal recessive heriditary skin disorder associated with a high risk of skin cancer. It is characterized by abnormal susceptibility to human pappilomaviruses(HPVs) of the skin. The resulting uncontrolled HPV infections result in the growth of scaly macules and papules, particularly on the hands and feet In November 2007, a video of a 34-year-old Indonesian man named Dede Koswara with a similar disease appeared on the Internet.His story appeared on the U.S. Discovery Channel and TLC series My Shocking Story(Extraordinary People on UK's Five) in the episode "Half Man Half Tree". On 26 August 2008, Koswara returned home following surgery to remove 6 kg (13 lb) of warts from his body. The surgery consisted of three steps: Removal of the thick carpet of warts and massive horns on his hands Removal of the smaller warts on his head, torso, and feet Covering of the hands with grafted skin In all, 96% of the warts were removed. However, his warts returned and he was thought to require two surgeries per year for the rest of his life in order to manage the warts. The Discovery Channel funded a blood analysis and found he lacked an immune system antigen to fight yeast infection. He was offered to have more tests run to determine whether it is treatable, and the doctor was fairly optimistic, but he refused the treatment. Surgery had, however, proven to be a temporary solution for Koswara, as the warts continued to re-emerge. He had thus undergone three surgical operations since his major surgery in 2008. Aged 42, Koswara died on 30 January 2016, around 03:30 Western Indonesia Time, at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung, from the complications related to his condition.