The Bangladeshi man known as “tree man” for the bark-like growths on his hands and feet has asked doctors to amputate his hands after dozens of operations failed to stop the painful lesions from growing back.
Abul Bajandar, 28, suffers from epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a genetic skin condition so rare that only 10 people in the world are known to suffer from it.
Despite 25 operations since 2016, surgeons have been able to remove the worst of the lesions but never been able to stop them growing back.
The father-of-one was readmitted to hospital in January this year as his the condition worsened, with the growths spreading to other parts of his body.
“I cannot bear the pain anymore, I can’t sleep at night,” Bajandar said. “I asked the doctors to cut off my hands so I can at least get some relief.”
A plastic surgeon at Dhaka Medical College Hospital told AFP that a board of doctors would meet to consider his case.
(Sam Jahan/AFP/Getty Images)
His mother supported his proposal. “At least he will be free of pain,” she told AFP.
According to CNN, Bajandar has suffered from the condition for two decades.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised free treatment to Bajandar after news of his rare health condition spread around the country.
He lived with his wife and daughter in a hospital’s private cabin for two years while he underwent treatment, said reports.
Samanta Lal Sen, a plastic surgeon at the hospital, which has treated at least one other person with the condition, said fewer than 10 people around the world have epidermodysplasia verruciformis, reported CNN.
A 10-year-old girl was treated in the same hospital in Bangladesh in 2017. But despite doctors declaring her surgery a success, her father later halted treatment and returned to their village when the growths returned in greater numbers.
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