Decorated RAF pilot could die unless a stem cell donor is found within months

From the Newshound archive · first published 24 September 2026.

Chris Gordon, 43, shielded 31 British and Afghan soldiers from enemy fire in Afghanistan by manoeuvring his Chinook helicopter as a barrier, losing an engine during the action, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the late Queen in 2013. He has since been diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia — a rare blood disorder that stops bone marrow producing new blood cells — and requires a matched stem cell transplant within months or will die. His brother Jonathan proved only a partial match, triggering an international search across stem cell registers.

Gordon, originally from Manchester and now based in Los Angeles, is receiving blood transfusions TWICE a week while the search continues.

He has partnered with blood cancer charity DKMS, calling on members of the public to sign up as potential stem cell donors.

Doctors have told Gordon that a transplant represents his only second chance at life, and that the window to find a compatible match is closing fast.