Dede Koswara is not even close to your average human being. Why you ask? Because he is turning into a tree. Well, not literally - he doesn't have leaves and can't photosynthesize - but to the naked eye it would seem that he was. When Dede was 14 years old, he fell and cut his knee, which triggered his transformation into Treeman (not as radical of an accident as Marvel or DC would have you think). Ever since then, he has been growing roots from his hands and feet, and warts of other kinds all over his face and body.

Since this tragic accident has not produced any super powers yet, Treeman cannot work or care for his children. Since Woodman is already Mega Man's enemy, he's got no outlet there. Also, the fact that his wife left him doesn't help either. You'd think all of this bad fortune would spiral Treeman into a life of villainy and pay back. You'd think it would cause him to change his name to The Roots of Evil and join the bad guys... but this is not a story of revenge, it's a story of triumph.

Enter the beam of hope! Discovery Channel broadcasted Treeman's condition to the world in a special program and the Chief of Dermatology at the University of Maryland, Dr. Anthony Gaspari, was watching. Intruiged by Treeman's condition, he visited him in Indonesia to try and help.

Dr. Gaspari examined Dede and found that the growths are actually warts caused by a very common human papillomavirus, or HPV, infection, and that the warts were able to grow unchecked for many years because of a problem with Dede's immune system...

 

Working with doctors in Indonesia, Dr. Gaspari suggested treating Dede with large doses of synthetic Vitamin A and a powerful anti-viral drug to fight the underlying cause of the infection. He arranged for a California company to donate the anti-viral medication, which is not available in Indonesia...

 

"Dede has suffered tremendous hardships because of his rare medical condition, and my main concern has always been to do everything I can to help him return to a more normal way of life," Dr. Gaspari says. "He still has a way to go before he is entirely self-sufficient. But, his quality of life is now much better, and he is able to be at home with his family."

From University of Maryland Medical Center

Score one point for science and one point for UMD.  Sorry science fiction, Vitamin A for effort.