Thousands raised for Norwich man with early-onset dementia

Andre Fairbairn, who lives in Plumstead Road with his mum Sam and step-dad Alastair, was told just weeks ago by doctors that he has early-onset dementia, a condition that affects just 0.1pc of the population. 

"I will admit it has been extremely tough on us all," said Sam, following the dementia diagnosis.

"There are not enough words to describe how we feel."

Andre and his mum, Sam, travelled to London for the Shrek Adventure (Image: Sam Fairbairn)

Doctors also diagnosed Andre with autism last October after Mrs Fairbairn, 47, who used to work with adults with learning difficulties, noticed traits in her son’s behaviour.

Sam launched a GoFundMe page at the end of February to raise £1,000 for Andre's "bucket list" of experiences he can enjoy as his condition worsens.

"We can see his deterioration as the weeks go by," said Sam. 

"We are waiting on the results of some genome testing to find what could have caused his condition."

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The fundraising exceeded her expectations and, within a month, the pot had reached £4,145.

Sam's 21-year-old brother Tyler joined his family for the day in London, which included a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe (Image: Sam Fairbairn)

"It has been massively overwhelming," said Sam.

"We are just so thankful for everyone's generosity."

Following the launch of the fundraiser, Shrek's Adventure! London reached out to the family and offered them free tickets.

Andre enjoyed a pint at the Hard Rock Cafe (Image: Sam Fairbairn)

"The team gave Andre a set of Shrek ears and he hasn't taken them off since," said Sam.

"He got to meet Shrek and Princess Fiona and he enjoyed it so much."

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The family was also gifted a vintage bus day trip by a friend recently.

Andre and the rest of the family were recently gifted tickets to a vintage bus experience (Image: Sam Fairbairn)

Sam has been making plans to take Andre on the Thames RIB speedboat in the summer and to Harry Potter World at Christmas, an experience that she thinks Andre will find "quite magical" during the festive season.

She added: "The care, support and donations that we have received have been overwhelming.

"We can't thank everyone enough."