Abdul Bajandar, a resident of southern Bangladesh has an uncommon nickname 'Tree Man' and an uncommon condition to boot. The former rickshaw puller has bark-like growths on his skin and will need aggressive surgery to remove them, according to doctors.
They have failed after multiple attempts to treat Bajandar's condition for which the scientific name is epidermodysplasia verruciformis. About half a dozen people worldwide have the 'tree-man syndrome'. The condition however seems particularly aggressive in Abul Bajandar, who has already undergone 25 bouts of surgery since 2016 to remove the greenish-grey gnarled protuberances from his skin.
The growths have returned since then and has flared up on other parts of the body that were previously spared. In May, when the condition flared up, he fled the Dhaka Medical College Hospital without notifying staff.
"The growths have sprouted even in new parts of my feet and hands. I made a mistake leaving the hospital, but I hope doctors will be able to cure me fully this time," Bajandar said.
The doctors now concede that his case is more complicated than previously thought, and are considering treatment options.
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According to a panel of doctors, Bajandar is most certainly facing another round of invasive surgery. More tests have also been ordered.
The condition has left Bajandar's family — he has a wife and young daughter — destitute and he is treated free of charge by doctors at the hospital, which is the top medical facility in the Bangladeshi capital.
His plight has captured hearts around the world, and the government has ordered he receive the best care.
He is not the only one in Bangladesh to suffer this condition. The same hospital also treated a young girl suffering from the condition in 2017.
Doctors also declared that surgery a success but her father later said the growths returned in even greater numbers. The family halted treatment and returned to their village.
Bajandar does not want to return home, and is desperate for a cure.
"I have received love of the countrymen and our prime minister," he said. "I strongly believe someday I will be able to live like a normal man."
