DEMENTIA AT 22

Mum's torment as son youngest UK sufferer

- DAN WARBURTON

A MUM has told of her heartbreak at her son developing dementia aged just 22.

Sam Fairbairn, 47, thinks the devastating diagnosis makes Andre Yarham Britain's youngest dementia sufferer.

Sam, who has left her job as a coach driver to care for Andre, says his first symptoms were slow movement and speech.

He was a normal lad growing up, she said, who enjoyed rugby and football at school.

As an adult Andre got a job at luxury car maker Lotus, replacing ceiling fabrics. He left after just six months.

Sam said he was struggling to get through the working day but was unable to express what was wrong.

Around the same time, November 2022, Sam noticed a difference in his speech.

She said: "He was always chatty. But it got to the point where you'd ask him a question and you'd just get a three or four-word answer.