The Block’s 2025 season has only just begun, but already Han has shown she’s full of grit and determination – and her shock personal history could explain why.
In a chat with New Idea, Han, who is competing with girlfriend Can, reveals she was diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 24.
Since then, she has lived every day to the fullest – no matter how many feathers she might ruffle.
Han, now 29, tells us the diagnosis was a total shock.
She had always been fit and healthy, until all of a sudden she couldn’t get out of bed.
The Perth-based geologist knew something wasn’t right, but it never occurred to her that she had bowel cancer.
It’s long been seen as an ‘old person’ disease – although new statistics show it’s becoming more common in younger adults.
Han spent two years trying to find the root cause of her issues, often flying back and forth from Pilbara, where she was living, to Perth for appointments.
She tells us she spent more than $80,000 “trying different doctors” to find an answer.
Han says several health professionals “fobbed her off” and told her it was “all in her head”.
Finally, she chose to see a gut doctor after hearing more about the importance of gut health.
It was him who suggested she have a colonoscopy to explore all options.
Her scheduled colonoscopy was booked in for two hours.
Instead, she spent six hours in the procedure.
“They found a serious tumour and a few smaller ones,” she shares, adding “they were able to remove them, during the colonoscopy, but the doctor said it was a gnarly cancer”.
“He also said if we hadn’t found it when we did, in two years I wouldn’t be alive,” she reveals.
As the cancer hadn’t spread, Han says she “didn’t need to go down the chemo route”.
However, she still has regular colonoscopies to stay on top of things.
“When you know something’s not right, keep pushing,” she adds.
