A group of nine doctors in Bangladesh performed a three-and-a-half hours surgery to help a man with bark-like growths on his hands and feet to return into a normal life.
The 26-year-old man, Abdul Bajander, is hopeful of the surgery which was performed at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Dubbed as the ‘Tree man’ due to the unusual growths, Bajander said he was determined to continue with the treatment no matter how long it took.
In an interview with AFP by phone from the hospital, Bajander said “The first operation has given me hope.”
Bajander has been diagnostic with epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a genetic condition which causes the growths on his skin.
The Bangladeshi government is paying for the treatment to remove the warts – some of which weigh in at least five kilograms.
Bajander is the father one child and his condition has reportedly iven celebrity status in his hometown of Khulna, and hundreds of people came to visit him in hospital.
However, he is committed to battle the disease, saying “I don’t want to return to my village without clearing my hands and feet. I want to get back to my old life.”
Facility director at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Samanta Lal Sen, said “We removed some small warts from his palm. We also did dressing of his fingers, which were operated on last week. He’s now better. But Bajandar would need up to 15 operations in total to rid his body of the growths, which may take six months to one year.”
