“By the end of this treatment I’ll have her immune system and my blood type will change to her blood type.”
Also known as a bone marrow transplant, stem cell transplants replace unhealthy blood-forming stem cells with healthy ones, often after high-dose chemotherapy or radiation destroys the patient’s own cells, treating cancers and blood disorders.
Homer acknowledged the procedure is typically gruelling, saying, “I am aware it will be brutal and make my 4 rounds of chemo look like a walk in the park.”
“There is an awful lot that can go very wrong. All of the paperwork I have been given seems to say ‘oh, and don’t forget you could die’ every second paragraph!”
Regardless of the sobering warnings, Homer is approaching this phase of her treatment with optimism, after a series of pre-procedural medical checks.
“I have complete confidence in my amazing medical team and I’m just so damn grateful I get this opportunity.”
The radio host faces a long recuperation and “100 days on near isolation” after the transplant and shared her mother has lent her a walker in preparation. Homer says as a result of the treatment, she’ll “lose my hair and brows again, which are just sprouting back”.
Homer is using manifestation to help get through her next phase of treatment and recovery.
“This time next year, I’ll be swimming in the ocean and dancing at a festival with actual people around!”
A former presenter of TV morning show The Café and Celebrity Treasure Island contestant, Homer is the host of The House of Wellness on the Breeze, a weekly show which discusses health and wellbeing topics.
She lives in Auckland with her husband of 25 years, Andy Pilcher. The couple have three grown-up sons.
Shortly after her diagnosis, Homer said she was “feeling fighting fit and ready to tackle this head on”.
