War veteran Chris Gordon seeks urgent stem cell donor

Chris Gordon, a decorated former RAF Chinook pilot, has issued an urgent appeal for a stem cell donor following a diagnosis of severe aplastic anaemia. The 43-year-old veteran, who received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 2013 for protecting soldiers during the war in Afghanistan, requires a transplant within the next few months to survive the life-threatening blood disorder.

Gordon, who is of mixed Jamaican heritage and currently resides in Los Angeles, is working with the blood cancer charity DKMS to encourage more people to join international donor registers. His brother was tested but proved to be only a partial match, forcing medical teams to search global databases.

DKMS noted that finding a compatible match is often influenced by ethnic background, stating that ethnic minority communities remain significantly underrepresented on donor registers, which can lower the chances of finding a match for patients like Gordon.