A 35-year-old Bangladeshi man living with one of the world's rarest diseases has opened up about the 'unbearable pain' of his 'uncurable' condition.
Abul Bajandar suffers from epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a genetic disorder so rare that fewer than 10 cases have been documented worldwide.
The condition causes enormous wart-like protuberances with the texture of tree bark to grow from his fingers, toes, arms, and legs. The disease has no known cure and leaves Bajandar trapped in a cycle of temporary surgical relief, which is then followed by aggressive regrowth formations that make basic activities like walking and holding objects nearly impossible.
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In 2015, the story of Bangladesh's so-called 'Tree-Man' received global attention, including Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who assembled the country's top surgeons to attempt treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Between 2016 and 2018, a series of operations successfully removed nearly 6kg (13lb) of wart tissue, temporarily freeing Bajandar's hands and feet.
For the first time since his teenage years, he could walk without pain and use his hands normally. Moreover, Bajandar's dream came true - he was able to hold his daughter for the first time. “To feel her skin made me the happiest father in the world,” he said.
However, the relief was short-lived. Within months, the growths returned with a vengeance.
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“After a couple of months, the warts began to grow again,” Bajandar explained. “I was completely aware that it is a genetic disease and that it has no cure.”
He added: “But I always hoped it wouldn’t reappear and I never thought it would strike again so soon and with greater virulence.”
Today, Bajandar's condition has returned to its original severity, with growths now larger than before his surgeries. The warts grow in all directions, causing muscular and bone problems that force his hands to stretch beyond normal human limits and arch his feet so severely that each step becomes torture.
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“Although we tie them with a thread to prevent them from growing and spreading open, there is no way to contain the disease,” said Bajandar's wife, Halima Khatun.
“As if that weren’t enough, I constantly get infected wounds, the pain is unbearable,” Bajandar admitted, who cannot function without his daily dose of antibiotics and painkillers. “I need higher doses every time and they cost a lot of money.”
Every month or two, Khatun carefully trims the growths just enough to allow him basic mobility and the ability to dress himself.
“I have to soak my hands and feet in hot water for a long time to soften them, and even then I feel a lot of pain," Bajandar explained. "I don’t rule out doing something crazy one day.”
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Bajandar's life is now confined mainly to two spaces. He either spends most of his time in bed on his phone, which is 'responsive to the warts,' or in his plastic porch chair when the house becomes too hot.