The video will start in 8 Cancel

News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A lonely father nicknamed 'Tree Man' who was ditched by his family because of his rare disease has died after a long battle with illness.

Dede Koswara died in the Hasan Sadikin hospital in Badung, Indonesia, on the morning of January 30.

Koswara suffered from a rare disease, Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia, which results in uncontrolled human papilloma virus (HPV) infections and the growth of scaly warts resembling tree bark.

His wife of ten years also left him after he couldn’t support them and their two children.

Koswara said: "What I really want first is to get better and find a job. But then, one day, who knows? I might meet a girl and get married.”

Read more:

(Image: Barcroft)

The disease was so severe Koswara’s hands and feet were covered with more than 13lbs of warts, also called “cutaneous horns”.

The severity of his condition gave him international notoriety - including several feature-length documentaries highlighting his plight.

The warts were severely debilitating, preventing the proper use of his hands and feet - and were believed locally to have been the result of a curse.

In 2008, Koswara had 13lb (6kg) of warts surgically removed from his body. The operation was such a success that he could play Sudoku and wear flip-flops.

But the growths continued to return, requiring two surgeries a year to keep the infections down.

Koswara died of a complicated series of health problems, including hepatitis, liver and gastric disorders, according to one of the doctors treating him.

(Image: Barcroft)

Three months before he died he was checked into hospital.

“He was resigned to his illness. He must’ve been pretty tough to face all the insults he suffered over the years,” his doctor said.

According to his sister, his was unable to feed himself or speak because he was too weak.

(Image: Barcroft)

She added that Dede remained estranged from his family up until his death - but according to those treating him, he never gave up hope of a cure.

“Dede wanted to recover, despite his disease,” his nurse said.

“He was coping with his illness, even though people despised him as someone cursed.

“He was bored, resting in bed in the hospital, and often smoked to pass the time.

“He wanted to go back to being a carpenter and starting a home business.”

WATCH MORE VIDEOS ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL HERE