Tree Man!

Tree Man who grew 'roots' offered hope of new life by doctor:
- December 24, 2007 - Indonesia



Above: Dr Anthony Gaspari believes that he has diagnosed Dede's rare condition.

An Indonesian fisherman who is "half man half tree" has been offered new hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.

32-year-old Dede, who lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, feared that he would be killed by the tree-like growths that cover his body.

Known locally as 'Tree Man' his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years.

He has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body.

In an attempt to earn a living to support his family, he is part of a circus troupe, displaying his Tree Man limbs along with others afflicted with skin deformities in 'freak' shows.

The former fisherman was the subject of a documentary "Half Man Half Tree", part of the "My Shocking Story" series on Discovery Channel TV.

Dede's story began when wart-like "roots" started growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. The medical world was completely baffled.

The welts spread rapidly across his body and soon he was not able to carry out ordinary household tasks.

Dede was sacked from his job and deserted by his wife. He has been raising two children, now in their late teens, in poverty. He is resigned to the fact that local doctors have no cure for his condition.

To try to support his family he even joined a local "freak show", parading in front of a paying audience along with victims of other peculiar diseases.

While he has the support of his extended family, he has frequently been a target of ridicule and abuse in rural fishing village where he lives.

But now new hope has emerged for Dede after an American dermatology expert flew out to his home village south of the capital Jakarta.

Dr. Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland claims to have identified Dede's condition, and has proposed a treatment that could completely change his life.

Following the testing of samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr. Gaspari says his condition is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This is a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.

Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system. This means his body is unable to contain the warts.

According to Dr. Gaspari, the virus was able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", instructing them to produce huge amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on both his hands and feet.

The doctor became involved in the case through the Discovery Channel documentary, and he is convinced that Dede's condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been demonstrated to stop the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.

Dr. Gaspari said that Dede's warts should reduce in size to the point where he can use his hands. He said he had never seen anything like this in his entire career.








Dede with his teenage daughter. He fears that his children may also become infected

Weird Trees

Here are some really strange trees from around this weird wonderful world. From the top down you can see: the Bike Tree, Fat Tree, Fork Tree, Six Branches Tree, Smiley Tree and the Snake Tree.

Joss Stone - Son of a Preacher Man

I have only recently discovered Joss Stone and I like her vocals and style.

Melissa Etheridge & Joss Stone - Janis Joplin Tribute

Janis Joplin has always been one of my favourite singers but sadly she left early in her prime years due to a 'deep bout of loneliness'. Anyway, as a tribute to Janis, Melissa and Joss Stone rendered "Cry Baby" & "Take Another Piece Of My Heart" beautifully. By the way, when she sang the song, Melissa has just undergone chemotherapy for her breast cancer. That explained her baldheadedness but the spirit she displayed is indeed to be commended by all!

"Here In My Home" - Malaysian Artistes For Unity

News Clips (Excerpted Fr. Malaysiakini.com):

A group of Malaysian artistes got together one fine day and made an anti -racism song and music video.

Pete was juggling tomatoes and was getting bored. So he telephoned a few friends instead: "how about getting together to make an anti-racism song and music video?" Al said yes without hesitation. Not because Pete threatened them with a rusty knife. Only because they love Malaysia.

The contingent swelled to 52 people a few days later. It included filmmakers, dancers, singers, producers. musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, designers, footballers, activists, celebrities, students and a florist. Nobody would be paid. Yet they were enthused. not because they were high on speed. Only because they love Malaysia.

They gathered to record the song. It had a catchy chorus and was able to induce a mass sing-along. everyone was happy when it was done. They named it 'Here In My Home'. Then more people joined. The party now included more than 120 people. But the budget remained exactly zero. It seems even the spreadsheet loves malaysia.

Everyone turned up for the video shoot. Much fun was had and friendships made. Video editors went to work after the shoot was done. Both the recording and the video would be given away for free. A gift to the nation. From those who love malaysia to those who feel the same.

Did you ask what this is all about?

It's about love.

Malaysiakini.tv feels that this is a beautiful project and really reflects what a majority of Malaysians feel and want -- released from the shackles of racism. We congratulate the 52 people who created this project.

Below is the entire entry in 'about' at http://www.malaysianartistesforunity.info
(The video is available for free download from this site)

I too congratulate them on this novel effort. SYABAS!!

Pfizer Starts Paying for Painkiller Deaths

Source : New York Times 3 May 2008

Pfizer has started settling cases over its Celebrex and Bextra painkillers. More than 3,000 patients have claimed that the drugs caused heart attacks and strokes.

Celebrex, which is in the same class of medicines as Merck’s recalled Vioxx, is Pfizer’s third-best-selling drug. The product is still on the market, and generated $2.3 billion in sales in 2007. Pfizer withdrew Bextra in April 2005 after it was tied to a potentially fatal skin condition.

Pfizer has already reached settlements with three law firms representing more than 200 of the thousands who sued over the drugs. Firms have been offered $40,000 to $50,000 a client to resolve Bextra cases, and as much as $200,000 a client for Celebrex.