The All Saints College St Mary’s Maitland Campus student is among 7890 Hunter pupils who will receive their Higher School Certificate results tomorrow.

First Place in Course list here from noon today.

Cassie, of Morpeth, suffers from an aggressive form of muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease where muscles deteriorate over time until patients can no longer breathe or eat.

She lost her older sister, aged 20, to the same illness four years ago.

Cassie went into respiratory failure midway through year 11 and spent five weeks in hospital on a ventilator, forcing her to spread her studies over two years.

Despite the setback, she achieved high marks in all her subjects, including first in senior science.

With the help of an iPad she has an online network of friends and has overcome multiple surgeries to start her Duke of Edinburgh award.

‘‘Why give up?’’ she said.

‘‘You don’t feel sorry for yourself because what good is that going to do?’’

Cassie has just 10 per cent lung function and a cold could be fatal, but she has nevertheless applied to study psychological science at university next year.

Her mother, Sharon, said Cassie wanted to do medicine, but opted for something less physical.

‘‘We don’t quit, but sometimes we just have to move the goals,’’ she said.