The Indonesian TREE MAN.

November 21, 2007 at 10:36 pm | In Changes in my life, issues, news, random |
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tree.jpg 

Recently, there has been a very bizarre news report about a man who lives in a village in Indonesia. This man suffers from some skin disorder, whereby he grows ‘bark like’ warts all over his skin! This makes him look rather odd and scary ! He looks like a man who is slowly converting into some sort of a tree. As a matter of fact..his hands and legs resemble tree branches already! When asked about his condition, this is what he had to say:

“First it felt itchy and some warts appeared on my feet.I neglected it and the growths quickly covered all my body.”

His real name is Dede and he is a fisherman. This man was sacked from his job due to his condition. His condition is due to a virus called HPV ( Human Papilloma Virus). However, there is a ray of hope for this man, as it is believed by doctors that his condition can be reversed by giving him doses of synthetic Vitamin-A.

I sometimes wonder why God is so harsh on such people. This poor man may have become a center of attraction for the medical fraternity all over the world, but his medical condition has rendered him useless. May God help him out of this terrible condition !

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49 Comments »

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  1. I’m sure God has a good reason for giving him this affliction. I have to admit the my first thoughts were not kind, but they were quickly replaced with more sympathetic ones! He does look quite happy in the picture, maybe God gave him the affliction to help him to appreciate and be thankful for the simpler things in life.

    Comment by Majik — November 22, 2007 #

  2. It is difficult to understand God and his actions..but lets hope this guy gets cured soon..

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 22, 2007 #

  3. Let us just remember that God will never give us problems or situations that we can not carry in our shoulder.
    This is just the fruit of the sin of our first parent, Adam and Eve..

    This is the imperfection in life that we are all into..:)

    By the way, good thing that he can still manage to smile despite his condition. It only means that he is not whining and thinking that God is the one who gave it to him..

    Just an opinion..

    Comment by Blank Mind of Treizie — November 22, 2007 #

  4. There’s a reason why God created him like that. He seems to be happy despite his condition. Perhaps his condition taught him how to be strong and how to be happy with life despite the bedlam the world brings.

    Comment by Sarah — November 22, 2007 #

  5. @ Blank mind: Yes, I agree with u completely. Its very easy for anyone to blame God for their condition.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 22, 2007 #

  6. @ Sarah: We all have to adpat ourselves along with whatever conditions we have to face in life. You are right.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 22, 2007 #

  7. so sory, what behind the story

    Comment by exinco — November 22, 2007 #

  8. This guy can be cured..doctors say so.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 22, 2007 #

  9. That’s so-called Life, mysterious yet faited. I wonder why God make us human being suffer, according to logistic thought, because we grow stronger each time after some failures. Wow, God is really majestic! We pray for miracle to happen, chance is there, it’d happened sometimes on the person who is sincere-hearted.

    Have a nice day!

    Comment by sharen sia — November 22, 2007 #

  10. Well said Sharen :)

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 22, 2007 #

  11. [...] Post from Aayush Bhatnagar  [...]

    Pingback by The Tree Man from the Indian Boy - Journal by Marisa Duma — November 23, 2007 #

  12. Ooooh this is so strange! The HPV virus is one that I’ve known that women get—–cancerous cells within the uterus. This is quite strange and I feel so bad for this person, yet, he takes this very good for somebody going through such a skin disorder.

    Comment by Deb — November 23, 2007 #

  13. I have heard that the HPV is present in all of us..and this guy’s immune system is so weak..that it cannot resist the virus..

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 23, 2007 #

  14. omg.. at first i felt creepy… but then i felt sad that why god has given this to a man who he had created himself.though this disease has made the man well known throughout the medical world, what goes withen him can never make up for his fame:(.. i guess he wouldnt ever want to be this way, for some fame.. may god give him back his normal body and life:)

    Comment by nisha — November 26, 2007 #

  15. he isnt happy because he is this way, hes forced to be happy as i guess he would be happier being normal:)

    Comment by nisha — November 26, 2007 #

  16. Yep nisha..we all feel the same way about him.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 26, 2007 #

  17. Wow…that’s all I can say is wow. OMG, does it hurt?

    Comment by Ev Nucci — November 27, 2007 #

  18. Good question Ev..it must hurt him..maybe he does not show it..maybe he is used to the pain..

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 27, 2007 #

  19. I do not share the opinion that God ‘did this’ to Dede. The HPV virus has been in the news in recent years and we are all coming to understand how it is spread.

    Some things are simply the consequences of our choices and actions; and those of others with whom we associate ourselves.

    Yes the issue of why God ‘allows’ certain things to happen to us can only be answered by God. We simply do not know.

    What I do know is that Dede’s story will have a powerful impact on some people - not all, but definitely some. It will get some to be more careful, especially in sexual choices and conduct.

    Comment by marvia — November 27, 2007 #

  20. Marvia..the HPV virus is present in all of us..naturally..it is not a STD and not to be confused with the HIV virus. Our bodies are immune to this virus,so we are shielded from its effects. Dede is suffering from a rare genetic disorder,which is responsible for his condition. His condition is nothing to do with the spreading of STDs.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 28, 2007 #

  21. I think you are mistaken. Actually, HPV is an STD. What he has may be a different form of HPV, not spread through sexual contact, but the most common form of Human Papilloma Virus is a sexually transmitted disease and is not present in all of us.

    In fact, it is very dangerous for women to contract the virus because it can cause cervical cancer. It is something you are tested for if you are found to have cervical dyplasia or cervical cancer. If it was something that we all have, there would be no point in testing for it.

    Men usually get it on their genitals. It is treated through anti-virals and burning the warts off with a topical chemical treatment.

    Obviously, if HPV is what he has, he must have a different form of it than what I and Marvia are talking about. The vitamin D treatment mentioned is another reason that I think he may have a different strain of the virus than what is common.

    I know what I am talking about, because I have HPV and it gave me cervical cancer (which was caught early, treated and no problems since). I was fortunate enough to have a husband that told me he had it before we got married, so I knew what signs to look for.

    I can’t speak to his condition, but in the article he mentioned that the warts itched and that is definitely true from my experience. They weren’t really painful though. But it seems that he has a different form of the virus. What he has certainly looks painful.

    Comment by Mrs Flipphead — November 29, 2007 #

  22. If God gave this guy these warts, why doesn’t he give them to you religious goofballs as well? I never heard such a crock of shit. How can you people live by such baseless superstition? There is a scientific explanation, based on empirical observation, which explains the man’s condition. You people can’t even prove God exists, yet you say his warts are of the will of God. I pray to God to give you creeps all a good case of warts!

    Comment by james mason — November 30, 2007 #

  23. First of all James..please mind your language. It is right that God has nothing to do with his medical disorder..as i have written earlier in the comments that we should not blame God. But we wish that this guy gets cured as soon as possible..by the grace of God. Finally..it is God who is our saviour.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — November 30, 2007 #

  24. how can we still call god as ‘our saviour’ and then also continue to believe that dede’s affliction is caused by god or that god could have prevented it. even if god had nothing to do with the illness, surely he can cure it, if he is omnipotent

    Comment by daya dissanayake — December 3, 2007 #

  25. Hello people,

    When I read the article I was stunned. But when I read the comments, I was even more stunned. How can people believe in a supernatural being which actively inflicts diseases like this on a person ? No matter what he or she would have done, this would be a very cruel act for a ‘god’ if such being exists. daya dissanayake is also right, by stating that if there is a god, he/she/it must be omnipotent and therefore have the ability to cure this person in an instant.

    The fact that there is so much disease, poverty, war, and other bad things on this world leads me to believe that ‘god’ has nothing to do with it, and if he/she/it exists, he/she/it simply doesn’t care what happens to us or what we do to eachother.

    Seems a bit futile to love and cherish a supernatural being who doesn’t love us back, doesn’t it ?

    That said, here are a couple of links about HPV:

    http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hpv.html

    Oddly, all those links say nothing about a God inflicting this upon human beings ;)

    C’mon people, accept the fact that it is just a normal illness. And in the case of this man, he just doesn’t have the money to buy the medicine to cure it. That is sad for him, indeed. However, instead of gazing to a picture like that and discussing whether god inflicted this upon him, we could all help, if we wanted to. We could raise money to get him helped. Ever thought about that, people ?

    Rick.

    Comment by Rick Wezenaar — December 6, 2007 #

  26. odd. posted a comment, but it doesn’t show. Is this moderated ?

    Comment by Rick Wezenaar — December 6, 2007 #

  27. Hey Rick…now ur comments show..and i agree with you..

    Comment by aboyfromindia — December 6, 2007 #

  28. Rick is right.
    God has nothing to do with this neither does ET or my cat. This is a disease. I read in a recent article about Dede that there is a doctor that is willing and able to treat and cure him however there is a lot of red tape to get through. Hopefully this doctor can get the ok from the powers that be and help him.

    Comment by Lucy — December 17, 2007 #

  29. Dude thats scary!! BTW nice blog! Keep it up!

    Comment by lordrowin — February 13, 2008 #

  30. i must say, God has indeed nothing to do with this… just wrong, GOD DOESNT EXIST as far as anything but literature is concerned!

    i once believed that elves made shoes but now i doesent…

    It is time that People wake up to see the truth…

    THERE IS NO GOD AND IF THERE WAS… HE WOULD HAVE DONE MORE…

    all must understand this!

    Comment by Logen Felxon — February 18, 2008 #

  31. Rick, Lucy, boy from india…….if you are sooooo certain that there is no God, then explain to me how the universe came to be…please offer me a viable explanation to how all began.

    Comment by mott — February 22, 2008 #

  32. oh and to james too

    Comment by mott — February 22, 2008 #

  33. and logan too….please explain..since you obviously have claimed that YOU KNOW what EXISTS and DOES NOT EXIST

    Comment by mott — February 22, 2008 #

  34. Hey Mott…i am a firm believer in GOD…i am a believer..100%
    what made u think i dont?
    Also..check out my post on intelligent design…its about God.
    Just search my blog for intelligent design…decoding God..and you will see that i am a believer.

    Comment by aboyfromindia — February 22, 2008 #

  35. You know, I began reading the responses to this post, and immediately felt a sort of revulsion for the things that were being said. Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, it’s a real shame that condescension passes for piety. Allow me to suggest that you inform yourselves before commenting on someone’s “happiness” or “suffering.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/14/wtree114.xml

    Comment by El Harlo — March 4, 2008 #

  36. i got to know abt this through n article in a magazine .tried to trace it out n came to know the causative agent .hope 4 da best,i would like to know his state now.was he on vit a therapy n if so vat is the outcome?kindly update if possible.thnx alot

    Comment by anuradha nambiar ck — March 5, 2008 #

  37. Why do you silly people always talk so much about a god. There’s no such thing. This guy simply has a medical condition that science may or may not be able to treat. Do something good for the world and stop wasting everyones time

    Comment by baffled — April 13, 2008 #

  38. I agree. God has nothing to do with this nor will he give a helping hand to anyone.If he did, it would be unfair for those with other diseases or those who have even perished with goals not reached yet in their lifetime.

    I REALLY WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO DISCOVERY CHANNEL OR WHOEVER WAS INVOLVED IN HELPING THIS MAN! THE MAN WOULD HAVE DIED A HORRIBLE DEATH IF IT WASNT FOR THEIR HELPING HAND! THANK YOU! For their organisation is one of the few organisation which will go that far to reach to those in need. There is no such words to describe them at all. The reason i am saying this is, i feel damned and guilty as i see myself render helplessly reading this piece of news as i could not help that man. Makes me feel pathetic of my helplessness.

    Comment by Jiewy — April 17, 2008 #

  39. God does things that trascend all human understanding. But there is a reason for everything, and this man, though evidently in a state of non-optimal lifestyle, has managed to live this long and thrive, and what these doctors are doing now, they will do their very best. God help them.

    Jiewy, you and I cannot help Dede, but God made others who can. We each play our own part, but it is not necessarily the same as that of another.

    ~~ I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of reasoning and free thinking. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of questioning what my pastor/parents/teachers/spouse/children/media/celebrities/government told me to dumbly and blindly accept as truth. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of seeking out Truth and God. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of celebrating, loving, and respecting others. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of refusing to conform to society. I am a FUGITIVE for the CRIME of loving and respecting everyone, regardless of who they are and what they’ve done.~~

    Comment by Ylanne Sorrows — April 22, 2008 #

  40. dont feel sorry for him… god has a plan for all of us.

    Comment by Joanna — May 5, 2008 #

  41. omg

    Comment by sophia — May 22, 2008 #

  42. who gives a shit if there is a god?? get over it haha. even if there is he’s doin a dumbass job ay? haha. more imporntantly, dede has a real problem, and talkin bout god aint gonna help him. i feel sorry for the dude and hope he gets better ay. catch

    Comment by aussie dude — May 27, 2008 #

  43. It’s ridiculous this has been turned into an argument on the exsistence of God.
    Religious, spiritual and causal beliefs are all personal; do not defeat the purpose of them by pushing your beliefs on others. This thread is about Dede, is there any fundraising or support system anywhere that we could join, if anybody knows, please tell me because I’m genuinely really interested in supporting this man. I’ll keep him in my prayers, and may God bless and be with him and the entire clan he performs with.
    I’m allowed to express my beliefs, don’t criticize them. Thoughts go out to Dede and his family.

    Comment by kiah — May 28, 2008 #

  44. we don’t have to or even intend to ‘feel sorry for him’ … i just want to support him.

    Comment by kiah — May 28, 2008 #

  45. Kiah, I don’t know personally of any support effort, although if I am appraised of one, I would be up in the front of the line to donate my time and/or money.

    I don’t try to shove my beliefs on others and I’m sorry if I came off that way. I don’t believe in “preaching” to people, and my personal philosophy REQUIRES me to accept that I could be partially or totally wrong about everything I believe in.

    Comment by Ylanne Sorrows — June 11, 2008 #

  46. Perhaps he allowed this to happen because it would cause thousands of people to think about and discuss God. Also, it helps many realize how blessed they have been not only to have their health, but also to live in a country where good medical attention is not so hard to come by. Perhaps this man suffers for your sake.

    Comment by Steve steve — August 13, 2008 #

  47. This has been blown out of proportion! Lets insert some common sense into this. In saying God is or isn’t to blame for giving this man the condition he has is a gross misunderstanding of the way God works. God has given us two choices, one of salvation and one of 70 years and then death. When we sinned for the very first time, God decided to leave it up to us to decide what we want. He pulled out from this world and left US to make the our own decision, (I might add its nobody’s buisness who makes which decision). Nearly all the dieseases, outbreak of viruses, etc etc can be traced back in plausible history and are the result of the actions of man and therefore man’s sin and I’m sure this diesease is no exception. Therefore, God hasn’t given this man a diesease to give him or anyone a lesson, its happened as a result of decisions made by man. Following up on that, all arguments for and against God are out of place on this blog. I’d like to also say comments made by baffled,Logen and Rick are way out of line. Even if you dont beleive in a God you are in no position to say if he does or doesn’t exist. I dont know where any of you are at academically, and it doesn’t really matter, but making a comment like that without scientific (origin of all things, evolution etc) backup is an extremelly foolish thing to do. I bet you don’t realise it, but our justice, legal, political, and schooling systems are set up with Christian morals behind them, so even if you aren’t a beleiver, the way you live your life is influenced by the bible, so there has to be something right about it. Anyway, I’m sure this blog was designed to show support for this man and thats what we should be doing. I hope this guy gets better real soon, and I dont care whether its done through God, or through efforts made by doctors and charity. Good luck to him

    Comment by logical — August 26, 2008 #

  48. Thanks..i agree with you completely. As a matter of fact…Dede has now been operated upon and his condition has improved..

    Comment by aboyfromindia — August 26, 2008 #

  49. Thanks for such an informative post about cancer.I need this info because my friends mother is suffering from Cervical Cancer, information mention in this article will greatly help me in offering her some advice
    thank you

    Comment by Smith — August 30, 2008 #

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