Putting Down Roots

I might be the last person in blog world to pick up on this story, but it was the first I’ve heard of it.

This poor guy’s name is Dede. He’s an Indonesian with a serious wart problem. According to various websites, as a 15 year old, Dede had some kind of an accident during which he cut his knee. In the next couple of weeks he noticed that he was developing warts and lesions. Eventually they began to take on a life of their own, turning into what appears as a woody bark.

Dede lost his wife, and the ability to care for himself. He lives with a cousin who helps clean and feed him, and cares for his two children. There is a number of funny (yet funny only at Dede’s expense) kind of jokes that come to mind, however I’m going to avoid them and just focus on the sad state of life this fellow finds himself in.

An American dermatologist has been in touch with Dede, and believes that his unique case is caused by a combination of some sort of auto-immune disease that negatively affects his bodies ability to fight off infection, and HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) which he may have contracted when he cut himself. The good doctor believes that a daily dosage of Vitamin A will have a big effect, and has taken samples to study further.

Dede spent some time traveling with a kind of freak show that paid him a small amount of money.