The XO Directory

An Indonesian man whose body is covered with extraordinary tree-like growths has spoken of his hope that an American doctor will cure his unique condition and help him rebuild his family life.

Dede, now 35, baffled medical experts when warty "roots" began growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident.

Sacked from his job and deserted by his wife, Dede has been unable to look after his two children Entang and Utis, who are now aged 16 and 18.

They have been brought up apart from their farther by his extended family on the other side of their remote village south of the capital Jakarta.

With Dede's condition considered life threatening, he had resigned himself to missing out on the remaining joys of fatherhood.