Andre Yarham, 24, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and died over Christmas. His family is currently working to increase public awareness of the illness, which was previously thought to primarily affect the elderly.
Read on to find out more.
Andre Yarham of Norfolk, UK, was diagnosed with rontotemporal dementia (FTD) shortly before his 23rd birthday.
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, frontotemporal dementia is a less frequent kind of dementia that can be used to describe “a range of different conditions that can affect personality, behavior, and language.”
The young man’s grieving family is now talking about some of the first indications they had that something wasn’t right with Andre.
In an interview, Samantha Fairbairn, Andre’s mother, stated that she had observed behavioral changes in her son as early as November 2022, which she later recognized to be all indications of FTD.
She clarified that she had recently wed Alastair, Andre’s stepfather. She started to notice that her son was acting inappropriately and showing signs of forgetfulness.
She also remembered how, when spoken to, he became unresponsive and forgetful. Sometimes he would be addressed and seem expressionless, and other times he would act as though he was unaware that he had been addressed.
“First noticeable symptoms for a person with FTD will be changes to their personality and behavior, or difficulties with language,” according to the Alzheimer’s Society, and “sometimes it can involve both.”
It continues, “This is very different from the early symptoms of more common types of dementia.”
It goes on to say, “For instance, short-term memory issues are frequently among the early alterations in Alzheimer’s disease. In the early stages of their illness, many persons with FTD don’t have a serious memory issue.
Before Andre was given a dementia diagnosis, his family noticed an odd shrinkage of his brain when they took him to the doctor. Although each person is affected by FTD in a unique way, symptoms usually get worse over time.
In September 2025, Andre was sent to a care facility. He was able to walk when he was admitted. However, he soon had to use a wheelchair due to a decline in his health.
He lost the capacity to talk a month before he passed away, but you could still “hear him laugh,” according to his mother.
It never did, she thought, “take away his personality, his sense of humor, his laughter, and his smile until the very, very end.”
He died on December 27, the day after Christmas, last year. In an effort to demonstrate “how cruel [dementia] is,” his family is now sharing details of his terrifying sickness.
The family gave his brain to science so that additional research on the issue might be conducted.
“Dementia is a cruel, cruel disease,” Samantha stated. Furthermore, I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. […] It would be worthwhile if it might let one family spend a few more years with their loved ones in the future.
Additionally, money is being raised in Andre Yarham’s name through a tribute page.
As the family deals with this devastating loss, we are sending them our best wishes. See what other people think by sharing this.
