His mother thought it was autism: Brit was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 22

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Andre Yarham was a talkative child, loved rugby and football and, together with his brother Tyler (21), is the pride of his parents. However, in November 2022, he gave his mother Sam Fairborn (47) cause for concern for the first time: he started moving more slowly and speaking more slowly. He often stared into space for long periods of time. Fairborn suspected autism — her son had often shown signs of the developmental disorder during tests. In reality, however, it was dementia, the New York Post reports.

In Great Britain, approximately 0.1 percent of the population under the age of 65 is diagnosed with dementia. However, at 22 years old, Yarham is the youngest person ever to receive this diagnosis. His doctors used an MRI to determine that his frontal lobe had deteriorated. This is usually a process that only occurs with age and contributes to dementia. However, his mother was not wrong in suspecting autism; Yarham was also diagnosed. It was “devastating” for his family.

Mother is worried about him

Yarham previously worked at luxury car manufacturer Lotus Cars, where he restored car roofs. But he had to give up this job after six months – his mother says he is now a 70-year-old man. Fairborn gave up her job as a driver to be there for her child 24 hours a day. Now she helps him every day with dressing, eating and drinking and even washing himself. Sometimes he would be in the shower and forget what he was supposed to do.

What remains unclear is where early dementia comes from; genomic testing should provide clarity. Yarham could then participate in clinical trials. This is a ray of hope for the family. “Any research we can participate in would help us. Even though it may not work for Andre, the research results could help someone else in the future and we want to take advantage of that,” says Fairborn.

Shorter life expectancy

What his family is aware of, however, is that there is no cure for the young Brit. According to the doctors, the chances of improvement are only ‘small’ and his life expectancy is probably also affected by his disease. “They haven’t said what this life expectancy is, so we want to make the best of it,” his mother explains.

The family are now collecting donations on a ‘Gofundme’ page to help make Yarham’s wishes possible, including a tour of the ‘Harry Potter Studios’ in London. (Unpleasant)

Source: Blick