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Elizabeth Michael

@lizzieclickie

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THE MAN WITH TREE SKIN

Dede Koswara from Indonesia. In 2008 he got a small cut on his foot. Normal. But his body couldn’t fight a rare virus. So warts started growing. *They looked exactly like tree bark and tree roots.* They grew 2 inches per year on his han…

Dede Koswara from Indonesia. 
In 2008 he got a small cut on his foot. Normal. 

But his body couldn’t fight a rare virus. So warts started growing. 
*They looked exactly like tree bark and tree roots.* They grew 2 inches per year on his hands and feet.

*Why he looked that way:* 
He had a super rare immune problem. The virus made his skin grow like wood.

Doctors did 16 surgeries to remove 13 pounds of "bark". 
It went viral. People called him "Tree Man".

The true part: His immune system was missing 1 gene. That’s it. 1 tiny gene changed how he looked forever.

© Elizabeth F. Aji
15
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General news

THE WOMAN WITH GREEN TEETH - "The Radioactive Girls"

In the 1920s in New Jersey, USA, there was a factory called the US Radium Company. They hired young women to paint watch dials. The watches had to glow in the dark for soldiers. To paint tiny numbers, the boss told them: "Point your brush…

In the 1920s in New Jersey, USA, there was a factory called the US Radium Company.

They hired young women to paint watch dials. The watches had to glow in the dark for soldiers.

To paint tiny numbers, the boss told them: "Point your brush with your lips to get it sharp."

So every day, 100+ girls licked radioactive paint. Radium.

Why they looked strange:
After 2-3 years, their teeth started falling out. Their jaws turned soft and crumbled. Some glowed in the dark at night. Their faces swelled and their skin turned greenish.

Doctors didn’t know what was happening at first. They called it "Radium Jaw".

The true part:
5 of those "Radium Girls" sued the company. They won. 
Because of them, we now have safety laws, lab coats, and gloves in factories.

So today, nobody has green glowing teeth from paint... but it happened. All because they wanted a $10/week job.

© Elizabeth F. Aji
18