24-year-old Andre Yarham passed away over Christmas after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. His family is now trying to raise more awareness about the disease, previously only associated with the elderly.
Keep reading to learn more.
Just before he turned 23 years old, Andre Yarham from Norfolk in the United Kingdom was diagnosed with rontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Frontotemporal dementia is a type of dementia which is not as common and can be used to refer to ‘a range of different conditions that can affect personality, behaviour and language,’ according to Alzheimer’s Society.’
The bereaved family of the young man is now opening up about some of the very first signs they noticed that something was wrong with Andre.
Andre’s mother, Samantha Fairbairn, said in an interview that she noticed changes in her son’s behavior as early as November 2022, which she later realized had all been signs of FTD.
She explained that she had just gotten married to Andre’s stepfather, Alastair. She began noticing that her son was displaying forgetfulness as well as some behavior she deemed as inappropriate.
She also recalled how he became forgetful and unresponsive when spoken to. At times, he would be addressed and appear blank-faced, and other times, he would completely ignore it as if he did not realize he had been addressed.
Alzheimer’s Society explained he ‘first noticeable symptoms for a person with FTD will be changes to their personality and behaviour, or difficulties with language’ and ‘sometimes it can involve both’.
“This is very different from the early symptoms of more common types of dementia,” it goes on to say.
It also adds, “For example, in Alzheimer’s disease, early changes are often problems with short-term memory. Many people with FTD don’t have a significant problem with their memory during the early stage of their condition.”
When the family sought medical attention for Andre, they discovered an unusual shrinking of his brain before he was diagnosed with dementia. While FTD affects everyone differently, symptoms tend to worsen over time.
Andre was moved to a care home in September 2025. At the time of his admittance, he could walk. But soon his health deteriorated to a point where he had to use a wheelchair.
A month before his death, he lost the ability to speak, his mother shared you could still ‘hear him laugh.’
She reflected, “One thing it never done until the very, very end was take away his personality, his sense of humour, his laughter and his smile.”
He passed away last year just after Christmas on December 27. His family are now opening up about the harrowing experience with his illness to help show people ‘how cruel [dementia] is’.
His brain was donated by the family to science so that there can be more research done on the condition.
Samantha said, “Dementia is a cruel, cruel disease. And I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. […] If in the future that can help one family get a few more years with their loved ones then, that would be worth it.”
A tribute page for Andre Yarham is raising money in his honor as well.
We are sending the family our very best as they navigate this heartbreaking loss. Share this with others to see what they think.
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