An Indonesian known as ‘the tree man’ due to the scaly warts covering his body has passed away after a long battle with his rare and incurable illness.
Dede Koswara, 42, died in hospital in Badung, Indonesia, on the morning of January 30 without ever realising his dream of living to see a cure and returning to carpentry.
In the past three months, doctors said he had resigned himself to the debilitating illness which over several decades tragically came to cost him his family, job and independence.
Dede Koswara (pictured), nicknamed ‘The Tree Man’, suffered from a rare and incurable disease that caused bark-like warts to grow uncontrollably on his body. On the right, he is seen applying cream to the growths
The debilitating illness, named Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia, results in uncontrolled infections and warts. Here he is pictured in hospital on December 10, just weeks prior to his death
The disease was so severe his hands and feet (pictured) were covered in more than 13lbs of warts. Here he is pictured prior to surgery in February, 2009
Despite multiple treatments to remove the growths, they continued regrowing and eventually cost Mr Koswara his family, job and independence
Nurses said that in the weeks leading up to his death, Mr Koswara had resigned himself to the illness and smoked heavily to help pass the time
By the time he died, Mr Koswara was estranged from his wife and children, and the disease has also cost him his job as a carpenter. Here he is pictured in 2009 with his young cousin Andr
Mr Koswara suffered from Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia, a disease which results in uncontrolled human papilloma virus (HPV) infections and the growth of scaly warts resembling tree bark.
