Dr VERUSHKA SELBY-HELE sees the world of hearing loss from two sides: as an audiologist, and the mother of a hearing-impaired child.
South African-born Melbourne audiologist Dr Veruskha Selby-Hele has diagnosed and treated many children with hearing loss throughout her career including as a paediatric audiologist in hospitals and clinics in the UK and New Zealand.
But it was her personal experience with her second daughter, Santana, that brought a new perspective and newfound determination to help other children in the same boat.
Santana is a typical four-year-old girl, loving all things pink and sparkly, nail polish, and Barbie dolls.
But unlike others her age, she has endured a tough journey towards better hearing, undergoing several surgeries including double mastoidectomy and now wearing a bone conduction hearing aid on a softband.
Dr Selby-Hele, who owns independent clinic Ears Truly Audiology with audiologist colleague Evan Lim, publicly revealed her daughter’s hearing loss in a recent LinkedIn post.
She explained the importance of inclusivity and children seeing themselves represented after finding Lego minifigures with painted-on hearing aids at a Legoland store. When Santana saw the figures, she excitedly told her Mum, “They’re wearing a hearing aid like me!”
Santana’s ear and hearing problems began around age two soon after returning from a holiday overseas where she swam a lot.
“The road to diagnosis and treatment has not been easy or straightforward despite my involvement in the sector,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
“The swimming was not related but she constantly had wet ears. We used antibiotics and saw an ENT specialist who said it was an outer ear infection and gave her eardrops.”
When it didn’t resolve, another ENT diagnosed middle ear infection and inserted grommets which came out within two weeks.
Santana’s ears were discharging and he again inserted grommets in one ear before finding cholesteatoma on the other side.
Her ears continued discharging for six months during which she did not have normal hearing, her mother adds.
Because it wasn’t deemed permanent hearing loss and surgery was planned, Santana did not qualify for Hearing Australia help, Dr Selby-Hele says.
She would only qualify for a funded bone anchored device on a softband if no intervention was
planned for six months.
“I was desperate. I knew she wasn’t hearing, she had moderate to severe loss but still had a grommet, constant discharge and cholesteatoma,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
Lifesaving softband
Help came through a professional connection. An audiology colleague from Oticon Medical recommended that Santana trial a Ponto 5 bone anchored hearing system on a Softband 5.
“She helped me set it up and immediately I noticed the difference,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
“The headband was a lifesaver; Santana’s hearing was much better, and her speech was starting to develop. She was nearly three – such a critical age for speech and language.”
Further assessment revealed the extent of the condition – cholesteatoma in both ears which had spread into the mastoid.
“The ENT said it was the worst-case he’d seen in a three-year-old,” Dr Selby-Hele recalls.
“Both ears were full of cholesteatoma, the ossicles looked eroded and surgery would be needed.
“I had no idea it could be this bad. You hear of mastoidectomy in one ear, but she would need it in both.”
Seeking reassurance, she sought a second opinion from Professor Robert Briggs.
“I said, ‘I’m an audiologist, what could I have done differently to prevent it?” Dr Selby-Hele recalls.
“He said there was nothing – some kids just have bad ears.”
Palate issue
Santana was diagnosed with a sub mucosal cleft palate – a hidden gap in the palate muscles beneath the mouth’s lining.
Often missed during initial newborn exams, it causes chronic ear infections due to ‘floppy’ eustachian tubes which don’t work properly as the muscle is not there to contract them.
“I’d been blaming myself, so when this was diagnosed, I felt a bit better,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
“Prof Briggs was wonderful; he was confident of the surgery, and although I felt relieved, it was still daunting because of the small area (to operate in), he had to monitor the facial nerve, the length of the surgery and risks.
“I was nervous, not knowing what her hearing would be like afterwards.”
Santana underwent 3.5 hours of surgery in 2025 at St Vincent’s Private Hospital.
“The ossicles had been eroded, but the cholesteatoma was cleaned out. Her ear was not leaking anymore, the eardrum was repaired, and I was expecting quite a big conductive hearing loss, but she has moderate hearing loss,” her mother says.
Santana underwent the second four-hour long mastoidectomy in January 2026 and now qualifies for a Hearing Australia-funded bone conduction device on a headband and an FM system for her teacher to use at kindergarten.
This gives Santana confidence to interact with her friends unlike at kinder last year. “She was missing out on a lot,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
“Bone conduction hearing is through the bone so it’s not acoustic hearing, it’s a different type, but she’s doing really well and will also have speech therapy this year.”
In 2027, Santana is expected to undergo middle ear reconstruction, installing artificial ossicle prostheses (ossiculoplasty), pending confirmation that the cholesteatomas have not returned.
Acceptance and resilience
Dr Selby-Hele hopes her daughter may eventually receive a second bone-conduction device, as only one is currently funded despite bilateral hearing loss. Alternatively, a hearing aid may be an option if one ear stabilises.
“It was hard for me to accept my daughter having hearing loss, even though I work in the industry. Initially, I didn’t want to talk about it and thought people might judge me or blame me,” she says.
“There were mixed emotions, even when she started wearing the headband, and especially when one surgeon said it was the worst: I just wanted her to be okay.
“The surgery was so big for such a little kid and to have it in both ears is rare, as normally people only have mastoidectomy in one ear.”
Santana, however, has adapted with ease.
“She’s so resilient. If you saw her, you would not think she has been through this,” her mother says.
“She’ll be running and tumbling. She loves wearing the headband because we decorate it with clips and she knows it helps her. She wakes me up at 6am and asks if she can have her headband for TV. There’s nothing negative about it for her.”
Motivated by her experience, Dr Selby-Hele is now working to support families in similar situations.
She is concerned that they may struggle to navigate the system and that children may miss out on months of hearing loss while awaiting surgery or assessment.
“I could navigate it because I have knowledge of where I could get help and could reach out directly,” she says.
“It’s been an ordeal, a big journey, and hard to navigate even for me, but I knew how to advocate for my child.
“For parents who are going through this, leaving their child for months without hearing, it would be so hard.”
She believes children risk missing critical developmental windows while waiting.
“There needs to be more awareness and possibly changes to Hearing Australia criteria for access to bone conduction devices on softbands for children who are waiting for surgery without hearing,” she adds.
“Parents should be educated and advised that if the child has a hearing test, monitoring is needed and there’s a possibility they will be without full hearing while awaiting surgery or treatment.
“Children shouldn’t slip through the system without hearing for months.”
Giving back and helping others
Dr Selby-Hele hopes to loan bone conduction devices on a softband to children awaiting surgery.
“We want to help children in the same position Santana was in. It’s such a critical period and currently there’s little support,” she says.
She hopes Melbourne ENT specialists will refer children who could benefit from temporary access to devices to her for the free loan equipment.
“It’s not fair that if children don’t meet exact Hearing Australia criteria to qualify such as permanent hearing loss, they miss out,” she adds.
Devices cost between $5,000 and $10,000, and she is exploring support from manufacturers who she hopes will lend some devices, as well as doing fundraising herself within her clinic.
“I’d also like to see more collaboration with ENTs so children who need temporary support can be referred early,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
“I feel like kids are slipping through the system while waiting months for consults and surgery. Australian government regulations need to change to help these kids who can’t advocate for themselves at the time they are trying to learn.”
Another goal is stronger peer support networks so she is exploring the idea of a playgroup for children using bone-conduction devices, where families can also share experiences and advice.
“Santana knows no-one at kinder or in friends’ groups who wears hearing devices. It would be great for these kids to see and meet others wearing the headbands,” Dr Selby-Hele says.
*Dr Selby-Hele can be contacted on verushka@earstruly.com.au.
