The 28-year-old known as 'Tree Man' is begging surgeons to amputate his hands which are covered in bizarre growths.
Abdul Bajandar from Bangladesh rose to international fame for his struggle with a rare condition called epidermodysplasia verruciformis.
- Surgeon removes man's 'tree growths'
- Heartbreak as 'Tree Man' returns to hospital for more surgery
- Bangladeshi girl may be first with female 'tree man' syndrome
The disease is caused by an immune system defect and causes tree-like warts to sprout from his hands and feet. Bajander first noticed the growths when he was 10, and it later became so severe he was forced to retire from his job as a rickshaw driver.
Since 2016 he's undergone more than 25 surgeries. Doctors removed 5kg of the growths in 2017 and thought Bajandar had been cured, but he relapsed the following year.
Now he just wants his hands gone, telling AFP he can no longer handle the pain they cause him. He's asked doctors for a double-amputation, which a plastic surgeon at DMC says is being taken into consideration. Ultimately Bajandar's healthcare professionals will do whatever is deemed best for his health.
"I want to live like a normal person. I just want to be able to hold my daughter properly and hug her," he said in an interview in 2016.
Just 200 people worldwide are believed to be affected by epidermodysplasia verruciformis, including a 12-year-old girl who is also from Bangladesh.
Newshub.
