Youngest dementia penitent Andre Yarham’s family has decided to donate his brain for medical research following son’s tragic death.
The UK’s youngest dementia patient died at the age of 24 with the brain of a 70-year-old, The Sun reported.
Yarham was diagnosed at 22 after his family noticed he was moving and speaking slowly and he passed away on December 27 in a hospice.
Andre, from Dereham in Norfolk, had a rare form of the disease called frontotemporal dementia, caused by a protein mutation it only effects one in 20 people with a dementia diagnosis.
In a heartfelt tribute, Andre’s mum Sam Fairburn said her son had a “heart of gold”.
The 49-year-old added that Andre donated his brain to science in order to help battle the “cruel” d disease.
“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,” she added.
Sam Fairbain, Andre’s mum, first noticed symptoms in 2022.
Andre grew forgetful and sometimes he had a blank look on his face or would completely ignore someone speaking to him.
Diagnosis of early-onset dementia came a year later following an MRI scan that showed Andre’s brain resembled that of a 70-year-old, only a month before his 23rd birthday.
