TREEMAN OF JAVA

An Indonesian man afflicted with a rare skin condition has had his hopes of a miracle cure dashed.
Dede Koswara, 37, was nicknamed the Treeman of Java after he began sprouting bizarre bark-like warts.
His ordeal began at the age of 15 when he cut his knee and started to develop the growths.
They spread uncontrollably, leaving the fisherman unable to perform the simplest of tasks. He ended up joining a freak show to make ends meet.
Doctors recently diagnosed a rare genetic defect that left Dede with no defence to the human papilloma virus (HPV).
In January when an American doctor proposed a treatment that could transform his life, and Treeman had 2kg of tissue removed in a massive operation.
He hoped the surgery would allow him to live independently for the first time since he was a teenager.
But the growths are slowly coming back, making everday tasks like smoking a cigarette almost impossible.
Doctors now think the condition is incurable - but they are determined to try to keep the growths in check to improve Dede's quality of life.
He says he has not given up hope of finding a girlfriend who will love him warts and all.