JUST one part of this man’s massively disfigured body isn’t ravaged with gnarled tree-like growths.
And today there’s a glint of hope in Dede’s clear brown eyes, because his 20-year nightmare could be coming to an end.
An American doctor, Anthony Gaspari, reckons he can cure Dede, who is known locally in South Jakarta, Indonesia, as Tree Man.
Dede’s grotesque limbs are caused by a virus and rare immune system disorder, but Dr Gaspari believes they’ll disappear with a high dosage of Vitamin A.
The University of Maryland expert met Dede, 35, while filming a documentary and has offered free treatment to the stricken dad-of-two.
Dr Gaspari says: 揗y interactions with Dede impacted me in ways I have not been able to anticipate.
Help at hand ... Dede talks to Dr Gaspari
揑 was initially shocked to see the striking deformity that can only be appreciated meeting this patient in the flesh.
揇ede is a forlorn, yet intelligent man trapped in a body encased in warts.
揟his man has been crippled by this infection, yet has been able to exist because of the caring nature of his extended family in a rural fishing village.?
Initially Dede’s condition was blamed on the rare genetic disorder Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis (EDV), however, tests proved this wasn’t the case.
Baffled, Dr Gaspari tested samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, and concluded the affliction was rooted in the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a common infection which causes warts.
Because of another rare condition Dede’s immune system doesn’t function like a normal person’s, and the warts spread at pace, resulting in branchlike growths called cutaneous horns.
Dr Gaspari believes Dede’s lifeline could come in the form of nothing more than a high dosage of vitamin A.
The substance is known to halt the growth of warts in the most severe cases and any remaining ‘branches’ could be frozen off or surgically removed.
Dr Gaspari says: 揇ede won't have a perfectly normal body, but the warts should reduce in size to the point where he could use his hands.
揙ver the course of three to six months they should become smaller and fewer in number. He will be living more normally.?
Dede was just 15-years-old when he accidentally cut his knee, and recalls the first protrusions started growing from his hands and feet and across his body soon afterwards.
He says: 揑 am scared it will grow on my face and engulf it completely.?
The affect on Dede’s life has been far-reaching, leading to the loss of his wife and his job.
His growths sometimes develop at a rate of 5cm a year and they became so cumbersome Dede couldn’t even pick up his kids for a cuddle.
He says: 揑 feel sad because my wife left me because of the disease.
揥ith my condition I cannot look after my children anymore.
揕uckily my sister helps look after them.?
Although Dede’s family have been a huge help, the some members of the wider community haven’t been so understanding.
After losing his job as a fisherman he was forced to beg for an income in the street, and suffered abuse from passers-by.
‘ I feel sad because my wife left me because of the disease. With my condition I cannot look after my children anymore ’
More recently he gave up vagrancy to join a local ‘freakshow’.
Despite obvious disdain for his treelike limbs, Dede did tricks for the paying public, along with other seriously disfigured performers.
He felt earning a living as an oddity was preferable to the indignity of begging.
Having exhausted treatment available through local doctors, Dede accepted the likelihood he’d be Tree Man for the rest of his life.
But further to his meeting with Dr Gaspari during filming of Half Man, Half Tree for the Discovery Channel, Dede’s future looks much brighter.
Dr Gaspari says: 揟here was also a fascinating aspect to this story, in the discovery of the nature of the infection, as well as the host’s defect that allowed the wart infection to thrive.
揃ut there was the human interest side of this story through Dede’s hopes for help from modern medicine.
揟his situation is something that we all can learn from.?/i>
Don’t miss Discovery’s next fascinating instalment of the Shocking Story series, My Big Foot, on Thursday 29 at 9pm.
Stricken ... Dede shows off condition
