Doctors say former RAF pilot Chris Gordon, 43, needs a stem cell transplant within the next few months for severe aplastic anaemia. His brother is only a partial match, so medics are searching global donor registers for a full match. He is urging people to register with DKMS.
Aplastic anaemia is an extremely rare blood disorder. DKMS says donor matching is linked to ethnic heritage and that people from ethnic-minority backgrounds make up only a small proportion of stem cell registrants. The charity says this gives people such as Gordon, who is half-Jamaican, a lower chance of finding a match.
DKMS says registration involves answering a few health questions and providing cheek swabs; free kits can be ordered from the charity’s website.
