Britain’s youngest dementia sufferer, described as having a ‘heart of gold’, has died at the age of 24.
Following an infection, Andre Yarham, from Dereham in Norfolk, passed away on December 27, 2025, in a hospice.
Andre was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia due to a protein mutation a month before his 23rd birthday.
Frontotemporal dementia is a rare form of the disease affecting about one in 20 people with a dementia diagnosis.
His mum, Sam Fairbairn, 49, paid tribute to her son as having a ‘heart of gold’ and has donated his brain to science to battle the ‘cruel’ disease.
She said: ‘Andre was a cheeky lad with a great sense of humour. He had a heart of gold.
‘There’s not enough awareness of how cruel this disease can be. There are different types of dementia, different symptoms and different behaviours.
‘We made the decision to donate Andre’s brain to medical research.
‘If in the future, if Andre has been able to help just one more family have a precious few more years with a loved one, that would mean the absolute world.’
In 2022, Andre began showing signs of forgetfulness.
He would often have a blank facial expression when spoken to and would sometimes completely ignore someone speaking to him, as if he had not heard them, his mum said.
A year later, following an MRI scan, Sam was told that Andre had the brain of a 70-year-old and had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
What is dementia?
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life.
There are different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal, and others.
Signs of dementia can vary, but examples include problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals and remembering appointments.
Dementia symptoms are progressive, meaning that signs of cognitive impairment start slowly and gradually get worse over time.
Dementia is caused by a variety of diseases that cause damage to brain cells.
There is no one test to determine if someone has dementia but doctors can diagnose patients based on medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests and changes in behaviour.
Treatment can sometimes include medicines and non-drug therapies that reduce the cognitive and functional decline of people.
Source: Alzheimer’s Association
This diagnosis made Andre become just 0.1%of the UK population to receive a form of dementia diagnosis under the age of 65.
Andre relied on his mum to be his round-the-clock carer, helping to bathe him, pick out his clothes and make his food and drink.
Sam said it was a ‘devastating blow’ to learn that her son had dementia and that it had been ‘very tough’ for the whole family, including her husband Alastair, 62, and their other son, Tyler, 23.
She said: ‘Andre got his official diagnosis just before his 23rd birthday.
‘In that time, his speech went totally. He was just making noises. The last six months was when we started to see a very rapid decline.
‘He was moving less and less. Andre was struggling to feed himself, pick up a cup, becoming very unsteady.
‘We had to make the hard decision to move him into a nursing home, which he went into at the beginning of September.
‘He walked into his room, which we’d all decorated for him. Within a month, he was in a wheelchair and had to be hoisted.’
In December 2025, Andre was taken to the hospital with an infection, which Sam said was ‘the start of a very rapid decline.’
Sam said: ‘He became less aware of us being there.
‘Andre stopped eating and drinking, and we were then told he was on end of life.’
After three weeks in hospital, Andre was moved to Priscilla Bacon Lodge Hospice, where he was for just over a week before passing away on December 27.
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Andre, who was an avid fan of wrestling, grew up playing rugby and football when he was in school.
When he was growing up, he began playing Xbox games like Fifa and Call of Duty with his friends.
He also had a job at Lotus Cars, a manufacturer of luxury cars in Norwich, but left after six months because he was struggling to get through the day, but could not tell them what was wrong.
Andre’s family have donated his brain to science with the hope that it will aid research into dementia.
Sam said: ‘If people do have concerns about loved ones and their memories, there are tests available and go to your GP.
‘We want to thank everyone who has shown us love and support with Andre’s journey.’
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