Half Man Half Tree
By Dunn •
November 16, 2007
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.
“I am scared that it will grow across my face and end up covering it all up,” the former construction worker says. “I’m so afraid I won’t be able to see, that I won’t be able to eat.”
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.
“The first one was cut off in an operation, but that didn’t stop it. Instead it just grew back faster. “Then it started on my foot, then my arms, then my other foot and then on my head,” says Dede.
By the time he had reached his early 20s, he could no longer hold a tool and struggled to complete basic tasks. He was fired and has remained unemployed since. His wife also left him, leaving him to raise their two children, Entis, now 18, and Entang, 16, on his own. “I feel sad because my wife left me,” says Dede. “And with my condition I cannot look after my kids. I miss working very much. But unfortunately I just can’t do it.”
Unable to work or earn a regular wage like his friends, Dede has been crippled financially ever since the shocking condition first took over his body. And as a single father, he knows he is not only responsible for himself. But just washing and getting dressed in the morning have become virtually impossible for Dede. He has been helped by his brother-in-law Imun, his parents and his close friends, who club together to make sure Dede has enough money to feed himself and his teenage kids each month. But his support network of friends and family have provided him with more than just money to survive.
Each morning, family members take turns to put his specially designed trousers on over his sprawling feet and help him lift a fresh shirt over his body. Someone must be around if needs to go to the toilet. Friends have even designed a huge stool so he can reach his food – but even this has to be spoon-fed to him twice a day. Only smoking – he gets through 30 a day – can be enjoyed on his own, with a special cigarette holder.
Indonesian doctors tried to help him when he was younger with a series of painful operations, but to no avail. “When I was in hospital I had some of my growths burnt off and I was injected several times. I was also given some pills. “But everything kept growing back after the operations, like just three weeks later. And they would grow back faster,” he says.
Now medical experts in America say they may be able to help Dede by producing a cure specifically for him. Dr Anthony Gaspari, chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the US, is fascinated by Dede’s condition. “I was absolutely stunned,” said Dr Gaspari. “I’d never seen anything like this before. “I’ve become really interested in his case because it’s so absolutely unusual. The growths he has are just something we don’t encounter in clinical medicine.”
Dr Gaspari took samples of Dede’s growths and has now been able to diagnose his condition. He believes Dede has an extremely rare genetic disorder which means his immune system does not function properly. This is why his body was never able to recover from the initial outbreak of the growths, which are actually warts, caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Dr Gaspari is now working on developing a unique cure for him.
But Dede says: “I worry that this disease will be passed to my children.” And despite previous disappointments, Dede is hopeful that this time doctors can help him. “I’d love to be cured,” he says poignantly.watch the video
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I feel sorry for this guy! I hope someone could help him
It’s very strange.
I found some video with this stange tree-peoples: http://scandalous-news.com/video.html?v=treeman
Em. How did he get his huge root like hands through the tiny shirt sleeves ?????
he has specially designed clothing with zippers and straps. they place the shirts on him and then do up all the zippers and straps so it looks like a normal shirt. his brother has to help him dress every day.
hey about your answer to the boy above you his brother does not help him get dressed because, he does not have special made t-shirts how could he afford that? he doesnt get a very good waige dick head
hey alecia – have u even watched the documentary???? fool! his brother DOES help him get dressed and it shows you the special straps and zippers he has to do up.
obviously he couldnt afford to just go out buy them but, unlike you, some people actually have compassion and volunteer their time and skills to help him.
watch the documentary and do some research before you go round correcting people and calling them dickheads.
oh and wage doesnt have an ‘i’in it.
yah i agree you can’t start calling people that before you really do not know what goes on where Dede is
that is rude you looser
Hope you feel better Dede and to his brother good job
woooowwwww this is a very amazing story. I dont know or care of what Dede’s religion might be but I know I will pray my heart out for him as I Hope many others will do too. I hope they find a cure and if there is anything that people can do to help please let it be know so we can help…
God is LOVE
-Gerri
shut up gerri. dont put your god ads on these things
you are obviously very bright.
this puts a whole new meaning to sprouting a woody
ANDS WOW I CANT BELIVE MY EYES AND I JUST WONTED TO SAY THAT THIS IS A VERY AMASING STORY I DONT CARE WHAT RELIGING YOU ARE!!!!!!I AM IN A SUTCH A BIG SHOCK THAT I DONT KNOW WHAT TO WRIGHT AND IT SO INTERESTING!! OHHH MY GOD
poor boy hope he finds a cure
god bless you boi
love spanky
god blesssss xxxxx
Dang this makes me think more about save the trees lol
wow, how can anybody make a joke about this?
I mean jeez,what kind of sick, twisted individual would do something like that? 
oh man, maybe oprah can help this poor guy out
Oh Man i watched this guy i fink its amazing and all his m8tz with there problems omg bubble man
wow
and the lady with her face like down to her breast omg that is dirty but this guy i fink he is amazing cmon dede u gt cured i no u did i fink u did but if u dint then i hope u do but man your a hero to me
I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS FOR A MIN.HE SURE KNOWS HOW TO FIX HIS COSTUME.HOW STUPID CAN YOU PEOPLE BE?
It’s a real. He already gone for some surgery operations to get rid off deseas from his hands. And he paid nothing, becouse the goverment of Indonesia pay for that surgery.
http://www.myinterestingfiles.com/2007/11/half-man-half-tree.html
Do you rly think, Discovery Channel makes jokes ?
Interesting story. Great top photo of Dede in white – where did you find it?
this is awesome !!!
i never see this before, it’s sooooo strange
and like the up guy says … i think is a costume !
its not a costume.
watch the documentary.
a doctor is cutting away some of the warts for medical testing and dede is really bleeding.
why would the discovery channel bother making a documentary that spans over several months and required the help of several medical professionals if dede was just wearing a costume??
have some compassion.
ohh poor guii
i hope they find a cure for you
that is so sad … but theres somebody who loves
you wathever you are … his name is God
Yeah, go God. That is a pretty trippy affliction.
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yeah. i just watched documetary. he didn’t accept tretmant… don’t know why, i would be stupid don’t to accept help…
I hope the doctors can get help solve the root of the problem.
Dede you will always be in mmy prarers until u are healed:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}god loves u
Why doesn’t he accept treatment? This makes me suspicous.
Common Folks,grow up,If he is sick, which I belive he is then just have some compassion.Why to get into stuff like costume, designed clothing with zippers and straps etc etc.
I think Dede probably declined treatment because then he could not financially help support himself and his children. He makes a very modest wage from working with others like himself, showing off his affliction to crowds, etc., (as shown in the documentary). Perhaps the treatment would be long drawn out and he would not want to be away from his children as no doubt the treatment and recovery would be done in the US.
I saw this guy on tv. What a sad sorry.
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what caused this guy’s disease? or was he born like that?
Im living in Indonesia. And we never heard of this man before, UNTIL the discovery channel found him, have him on its shows, for treatment and all.
Indonesian government are being insult by not taking care of their citizen. yes, they should. there is no such thing as free medication in here, there is no such thing as help.
the poor being more poor.
Dede suffered from Papilloma, there’s a lot of those things happened in indonesia, elephant man, etc. but where is our government? Im ashamed that, they only care with political issues.
There is a big problem issues here as well, called LAPINDO mud. a very big disaster from the fuckest business man called ABURIZAL BAKRIE, he was trying to dig some oil, and guess what did he got? A MUD. and it wont stop, it keep on coming out from the earth, and almost of the city right now was covered with that mud, and how about the poor people? their farm house, business are covered with that mud. and that business man arent helping out, but he just out of hand, and not taking care of anything.
He is one of the ministry in Indonesia, the president, the government seems dont care over those people. He just have her daughter marriage party, costing 10 million USD. hey, I bet that money can be used to give food over that poor people. buying lands, to replace their lost. His debt is more than 50 billion usd. sucks
Indonesian is really CORRUPT.
wow amazing isnt it hope yea feel beter!
Damn i feel bahd foh dis guy cuz he cant live a normal lyfe lik us and i hope that someone would help him
I’d like to shart on him
Go tree man
“Tarzan noise”
men this is awsome it’s like the tree tower on warcraft, i think he’s one of the last ent.