Pretensions is probably behind everyone in the planet on this topic, but she just got round to viewing her recorded shows from her week in Korea. One of them was a Discovery Channel documentary on Dede Koswara, also known as the Tree Man of Java.

Originally a fisherman, Dede contracted the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as a teen. This virus normally causes small warts on sufferers, but Dede suffers from a congenital immunodepressive condition which meant that his immune system was unable to contain the growths. Starting from small horny growths around a cut knee, the disease caused huge bark-like growths to sprout from his hands and feet. As his disease progressed, Dede found himself unable to ply his trade as fisherman or builder or manage any domestic tasks. His wife of ten years left him with his two sons as he was no longer able to support them an d he turned to being displayed as a freak in a travelling circus to make enough money to live.

In the documentary, Dede's disease is diagnosed by US dermatologist Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland, who flies to Indonesia to treat then 34 year-old Dede. Gaspari felt that Dede's disease might be treated by administering daily doses of synthetic Vitamin A that might arrest wart development. However, post-documentary newsa coverage of Dede has shown that the Indonesian Health Ministry refused to let him fly to the US for treatment by Gaspari. In fact, a row developed over Gaspari's removal of Dede's blood and tissue samples to his laboratory in Maryland, with the Health Minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, blasting Gaspari for doing so without authorisation.

Fortunately for Dede, this was resolved and Gaspari has since advised doctors at Indonesia's Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung on methods to treat his condition, including administering Vitamin A and surgery to remove the worst of the warts.  The first operations were complete in January this year and successive operations left him with enough movement to send text messages and complete sudoko puzzles (albeit very slowly). 4 lbs of warty material have been excised from his feet alone. The doctors treating Dede also discovered that he had previously undiagnosed TB which would probably have killed him in another 5 years, so Dede's operations have improved more than his looks and mobilty.

Ever the optimist, Dede hopes that he will eventually recover enough to find love and marry again. P hopes he will too!