by Joelle Doye, for the WIAA

Cassie Bossert is the typical All-­American girl.

As a high honor roll student, WIAA two sport athlete, and a young lady who enjoys shopping and hanging out with friends, at first glance, the Mineral Point High School Junior seems much like other teenagers.

To the untrained eye, one would never know the starting guard on the Pointer girls basketball team, which ended two­time defending WIAA state champion Cuba City’s 61 game winning streak January 15, has a severe hearing impairment.

“I was born with a hearing loss,” Cassie says. “At the time, newborn hearing screening was just beginning in Wisconsin, and therefore, I was considered late diagnosed at 14 months.”

Cassie’s hearing loss is in the severe range, with no residual hearing at all in her right ear due to her implant, and she cannot detect most sounds under 70 decibels in her left ear without her hearing aid.
As a comparison, individuals with typical hearing are able to detect sounds from 0­-25 decibels.

“Without my hearing aid to amplify sounds, I cannot hear people talking,” she says. “I did receive cochlear implant surgery in my right ear when I was five, and I used it for a few years, but I am not currently using it.”

Even with her hearing aid, Cassie may miss approximately 60% of spoken information. She relies on lip reading and context to fill in what she misses auditorily.

“Cassie’s hearing loss was suspected shortly after her first birthday when she wasn’t talking and our daycare provider noticed that she wasn’t reacting to loud sounds,” says her mother, Carolyn. “When she was 19 months old, her father, Rob, and I learned that the cause of Cassie’s hearing loss was Connexin 26 which results in an abnormal protein exchange necessary for a properly functioning cochlea.”

Cassie played the setter position in volleyball this past fall, and as previously mentioned, is starting currently on the girls basketball squad.

Both sports can present challenges, especially when hearing the whistles.

“Half the time I’ll hear it and half the time I won’t,” she says. “Before each game, my coach and I walk up to the refs and explain to them my hearing loss and inform them that I may not always hear it when they blow it. For our plays in basketball, my teammates will have a hand signal for which play we are running.”

Pointer girls basketball coach and high school principal, Mitch Wainwright, has even learned a few signs to better communicate with Cassie, a gesture she really appreciates.

“I think she works harder, both physically and mentally, than many of the other people on the team,” Wainwright says. “She has to concentrate so hard to read lips, remember plays, communicate on defense, and use her other senses to overcome her hearing loss. She has to be exhausted at the end of the day after doing all of that in the classroom and then during basketball practice. I only hope that I can help make it easier for her because she is a really good athlete and I want her to be part of my team.”

Cassie’s brother, Grant, who is in eighth grade, also has a hearing loss, but not quite as severe. Her youngest brother, Brett, who is in second grade, has no hearing loss.

Sports have always been an integral part of Cassie’s life, beginning coach ball at age four and basketball in first grade. Also during her elementary years, she was a member of the summer swim and softball teams. Beginning in middle school, she participated in track, cross country, and volleyball. She also learned to play piano and tenor saxophone.

In school, besides excelling at academics, she is a member of the Key Club community service organization and Future Business Leaders of America. Cassie is also active in the Mineral Point Youth Group and recently passed the American Red Cross certification to become a lifeguard this summer.

“To see her participate in so many activities today, some people who don’t know her may not even notice she has a hearing loss or understand the severity, which speaks volumes for what she has had to overcome,” says Carolyn.

Her own perseverance, combined with the educational support at school and at home, have been keys to her success. From an early age, she was immersed in language rich environments where she learned both sign and speech.

“Cassie has been fortunate to have incredible teachers and interpreters through the years at Mineral Point,” comments Carolyn. “We are grateful for the support they have given her to help her achieve academic success.”

As she has aged, support with her Teacher of the Deaf, Janice Neil, is once per week. She utilizes a sign language interpreter, Kelli Ritchie, to supplement the spoken language in class.

Cassie also credits her supportive family and friends through the years and says she never really faced bullying growing up.

“She has a great sense of humor, likes to have fun, and has a beautiful smile and heart,” says her mother. “She is social­­sometimes too social­­but that’s ok as one of our greatest fears was that she would not be accepted or have friends due to her hearing loss.”

Many parents nowadays complain about their children’s seeming constant cell phone use and texting, but the Bosserts praise the technological advancement.

“This was a huge benefit to her socially and became the preferred tool for her to communicate with friends since talking on the phone is difficult. Without this, social interactions might have been much more challenging for her,” says her mother.

On the court, the hearing loss can be beneficial at times if she needs to focus and drown out the noise of the crowd.

However, her mother points out, she thinks sometimes Cassie might intentionally use her hearing loss to tune out what her parents have to say.

In typical teenage fashion, Cassie laughs and admits her mother is sometimes right about that.
“When we first learned of her hearing loss, we went through a grieving process and had to accept that our little girl was going to be different and would have communication challenges to overcome for her lifetime. Our fears have lessened some along the way, when seeing how successful Cassie was doing academically, but the anxiety and fear doesn’t completely go away,” says Carolyn. “We know that college will pose many new challenges as she will not be in a place where others know her needs.”

Cassie knows this as well and she is trying to get better at advocating for herself and not be embarrassed to say what she needs.

“I know I have to speak up and ask for help from teachers when needed.”

Although just a junior, she already has a plan for post­graduation.

“I would like to attend a four year college and pursue a career in the medical field,” she says.

It should come as no surprise that someone like Cassie has big goals.

“I’ve never had to prove myself. I just try to be the best I can be in sports, academics, and everything else,” she says.

Although Cassie says she never really had a role model with a hearing impairment growing up, it’s a high probability she is just that for young Mineral Pointers.

“We have some young girls in the elementary with hearing impairments, and it’s wonderful for them to be able to come to games and see Cassie excelling,” says Ritchie.

“She has always had very high standards of performance for herself and is a bit of a perfectionist,” says her mother.

Cassie’s advice for those young people with hearing impairments looking to excel is quite simple.

“Just because you have a hearing loss doesn’t mean you can’t do anything,” says Cassie. “You can do anything you want to do. Do not let your hearing loss stop you.”

Photos by Doye