Young UK dementia victim Andre Yarham donates brain to medical research

Briton Andre Yarham died aged 24 after battling frontotemporal dementia. Photo / Facebook

A British man who died last month from a rare form of dementia has donated his brain for scientific research.

Andre Yarham, 24, died on December 27 after a two-year battle with frontotemporal dementia and was believed to be Britain’s youngest dementia patient, the Sun reported.

Yarham’s mother, Sam Fairburn, 49, said her son was a “cheeky lad,” with a “heart of gold”.

She said she hoped donating her son’s brain to science could eventually help other families affected by the “cruel” disease.

“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,” she said.

Andre Yarham (left) was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia at age 22. Photo / Facebook

Fairburn, a former bus driver, described Yarham as a man “always on the go” before his diagnosis at age 22.

She said she began noticing he was becoming forgetful and would stare blankly when spoken to.

His diagnosis came after an MRI scan revealed his brain was comparable to that of a 70-year-old.

Fairburn became his full-time carer as his condition declined to the point he could no longer perform daily tasks independently, the Sun reported.

“He was moving less and less. Andre was struggling to feed himself, pick up a cup, becoming very unsteady,” she said.

Fairburn, her husband Alistair, and her other son Tyler, took Yarham to hospital in December after he developed an infection.

“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,” she said.

“That was the start of a very rapid decline. He became less aware of us being there. Andre stopped eating and drinking, and we were then told he was on end of life.”

The Mirror reported Yarham was transferred to Priscilla Bacon Lodge Hospice after three weeks in hospital and stayed there for a week before dying.

“People with cancer, they can have radiotherapy, they can have chemotherapy, and people go into remission and can lead a fruitful, memorable life. With dementia, there’s nothing,” Fairburn said.

Yarham’s brain was donated to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for research.

More than 83,000 people live with dementia in New Zealand, according to Dementia New Zealand, which offers support and advocacy services to people with the disease and their families.

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