{"id":296837,"date":"2026-02-11T04:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?p=296837"},"modified":"2026-02-10T15:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:37:48","slug":"heart-wants-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/heart-wants-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart wants gold: Hannah&#8217;s journey from heart surgery to pageants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Three heart surgeries could not stop Hannah Banien from becoming a Miss Grand South Africa 2026 finalist.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Somerset West teenager was born with a severe congenital heart defect, a life-threatening condition requiring immediate intervention.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I was born without an aortic valve; at only a month old open-heart surgery was performed on me,&#8221; the 18-year-old explained. &#8220;The aortic valve controls blood flow from the heart to the body; without it, blood will not circulate properly.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two more surgeries followed \u2013 at age four when the valve leaked and in Grade 9 for monitoring and maintenance.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Growing up, the surgeries were challenging, but it didn&#8217;t affect me negatively. The surgeries shaped me into the young woman I am today.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was during Grade 10 at Gordon High School that Banien discovered her heartbeat for pageantry. She won Ms Personality in the school&#8217;s Mr and Ms Spring competition in 2022, followed by her crowning moment, as Miss Gordon 2023.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t expecting to win. When I heard my name, I couldn&#8217;t believe it \u2013 all I could do was smile.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" data-attachment-id=\"296850\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/whatsappimage2026-02_77877-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Hannah Banien celebrates winning Miss Gordon in 2023, which launched her modelling and pageantry career.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Hannah Banien celebrates winning Miss Gordon in 2023, which launched her modelling and pageantry career.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited-1024x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited.jpeg\" alt=\"Hannah Banien wearing a crown and sash, smiling while celebrating her Miss Gordon 2023 victory.\" class=\"wp-image-296850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsAppImage2026-02_77877-edited-768x768.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hannah Banien celebrates winning Miss Gordon in 2023, which launched her modelling and pageantry career.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That victory launched her modeling career, becoming a Miss Teen World South Africa 2024 finalist before taking a break during matric to focus on studies.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, with final examinations complete, Banien has set her sights on Miss Grand South Africa 2026.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pageant forms part of the Miss Grand International competition, emphasising individuality, authenticity and international readiness. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year&#8217;s theme, Rise of the Phoenix, symbolises resilience, growth and transformation.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Banien stood out for her confidence, composure and ability to communicate authentically,&#8221; explained Lenie Louw, the pageant&#8217;s national director. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;She demonstrated strong self-awareness, clear purpose and the determination needed to thrive.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the local teen, the pageant represents far more than competition. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Miss Grand SA is more than just a crown; it represents pride and responsibility to inspire. I don&#8217;t just want the crown; I want the responsibility that comes with it.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drawing from her medical experiences, Banien has established Hope&#8217;s Heart Foundation to help children with heart defects and those struggling to find their place. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I wanted to create a place for children who feel unsure about where they belong, to uplift and encourage them and show them they do belong.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She pursues this mission while studying law at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and continuing her modelling career.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been training hard \u2013 walking in heels, hitting the gym \u2013 and preparation is going smoothly.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through everything Banien remains authentic. &#8220;I want to be known as Hannah Banien, a young girl who started small and never had anything easy, but by putting God first I was able to overcome and achieve.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Banien proves that being a queen requires more than beauty; it needs a heart of gold, even if that heart has to work a little harder than that of others to give of itself.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\uf06e <strong>To show support, contact Banien via email at <a href=\"mailto:hannahbanien@gmail.com\">hannahbanien@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three heart surgeries couldn&#8217;t stop Hannah Banien from becoming a Miss Grand South Africa 2026 finalist, proving determination conquers 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