Brain donation can be a selfless act born of tragedy. The story of Andre Yarham has captured the attention of media outlets across the United Kingdom, highlighting both the reach of FTD into young adulthood, and the profound generosity that can emerge from a devastating disease. The young man from Norfolk, England, who passed away December 27 at age 24, became one of Britain’s youngest known dementia patients—and his family’s decision to donate his brain to science offers researchers a rare and invaluable opportunity to understand this disease. 

Yarham was just 22 when his mother, Samantha Fairbairn, noticed something had changed. He became forgetful; he would stare blankly when someone spoke to him. His movements slowed.   

Medical imaging revealed the shocking truth, that Yarham’s brain showed shrinkage to a degree typically seen in someone five decades older. Doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge diagnosed him with FTD caused by a protein variant.   

A Rapid Decline

Fairbairn, who gave up her job as a bus driver to become her son’s full-time caregiver, watched as the disease systematically stripped away his abilities. When Yarham entered a care home this past September, he could still walk, though slowly. In just over a month, he required a wheelchair. 

A month before his death, speech left him entirely. Yet according to his mother, something essential remained. His personality endured. His sense of humor survived. His laughter and smile stayed with him until the end. 

In early December, an infection brought him to the hospital for the last time. He was transferred to Priscilla Bacon Lodge hospice in Norwich, where he died peacefully in his sleep on December 27. 

The Gift That Continues

While Yarham was unable to make the decision himself, Fairbairn knew what her son would have wanted. She donated his brain, spinal cord, and fluid to the Cambridge Brain Bank at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. 

Professor James Rowe, Yarham’s consultant at Addenbrooke’s and lead for the Cambridge Centre for Frontotemporal Dementia and Related Disorders, expressed deep gratitude for the family’s decision. He noted that through brain donation, Yarham continues helping researchers better understand the disease, detect it earlier, and search for a cure. 

The donation of a brain affected by very early-onset FTD is an exceptionally rare opportunity for researchers. While imaging can show what parts of the brain have been lost, only donated tissue can reveal why the damage occurred—which proteins accumulated, which cell types proved most vulnerable, and how inflammation may have contributed to the destruction. 

Fairbairn hopes her son’s final contribution might spare other families from experiencing what hers endured. She emphasized the cruel nature of dementia, noting that unlike cancer patients who may achieve remission through treatment, those with dementia face a disease with no cure and limited options to slow its progression. 

Brain donation transforms personal tragedy into collective hope, advancing the scientific understanding that could one day lead to treatments or prevention. For families considering this gift, more information is available at the AFTD website. 

Further reading:  

• Read the article published by the BBC 
• Read the article in the Independent 
• Learn more about brain donation and FTD