A mother has shared a harrowing account of her son's dementia diagnosis after he fell ill in his 20s

A young man from Norfolk who passed away over the Christmas period after battling dementia has donated his brain to help researchers understand more about the devastating condition.

At just 24-years old, Andre Yarham was thought to be Britain's youngest person with dementia and died on December 27 at Priscilla Bacon Lodge hospice in Norwich.

He had been living with frontotemporal dementia, caused by a protein mutation, since receiving his diagnosis a month before turning 23.

His mother, Samantha Fairbairn, made the decision to give his brain to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge for scientific study, and hopes the donation will shed light on what she calls the "cruellest" of diseases.

Fairbairn, 49, first spotted something was wrong with her son shortly after marrying his stepfather, Alastair in November 2022.

Andre started becoming forgetful and began behaving in ways that seemed out of character.

"He went into the city one day to get something, or he's supposed to be going to the shop, and he decided to get the bus," said Fairbairn.

Medical scans at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital revealed his brain had been shrinking unusually.

Doctors at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge then confirmed the devastating diagnosis of dementia. Fairbairn described feeling "a range of emotions, from anger, sadness - sadness for him".

Andre's condition deteriorated at a heartbreaking pace, yet when he entered his care home in September last year, he was still able to walk, albeit slowly.

"So he walked into his care home September last year, very slowly, but he walked in, and within just over a month he was in a wheelchair," said Fairbairn.

About a month before his death, Andre lost the ability to speak entirely and could only make sounds.

"One thing it never did until the very, very end was take away his personality, his sense of humour, his laughter and his smile," said Fairbairn. "You could hear him laugh."

The family cared for Andre at home, including feeding him, until it became too physically demanding.

Fairbairn wanted to speak publicly because she believes people need to understand that dementia can strike at any age.

"I need people to know how cruel this disease is. He must have been one of the youngest," she said.