Britain’s youngest known dementia patient, Andre Yarham, has died at 24 after battling a rare and aggressive form of the disease.
Andre, from Dereham in Norfolk, passed away on December 27 at Priscilla Bacon Lodge Hospice following a rapid decline triggered by an infection. He was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia linked to a protein mutation just weeks before his 23rd birthday, with doctors noting his brain had changes usually seen in someone aged 70.
His mother, Sam Fairbairn, said the family first noticed problems in 2022 when Andre became forgetful and unresponsive at times.
“He was becoming forgetful and sometimes seemed completely blank when people spoke to him. It was like he hadn’t heard you at all,” she said.
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An MRI scan in 2023 confirmed the devastating diagnosis.
“I was told he had the brain of a 70-year-old and early-onset dementia,” Sam said.
Andre’s condition worsened quickly. He lost his ability to speak, struggled with everyday tasks like feeding himself, and eventually needed full-time care.
“The last six months was when we saw a very rapid decline. He was moving less and less and becoming very unsteady,” Sam said.
In September, the family moved him into a nursing home, where his mobility further declined. In December, he was hospitalized with an infection and later transferred to hospice care, where he died just over a week later.
Andre, who had previously enjoyed sports, gaming, and a brief stint working at Lotus Cars in Norwich, had his brain donated to medical research to help families affected by the disease.
“There’s not enough awareness of how cruel this disease can be,” Sam said. “If Andre can help even one other family have more time with their loved one, that would mean everything.”
He is survived by his mother, his brother Tyler, 23, and stepfather Alastair, 62.