Morgan Henry recalls celebrating the end of more than two years of treatment for cancer with an impromptu leap into Lake Whatcom on a snowy January day when she was 6 years old.

Now her mother, Bellingham’s Beth Henry, is asking cancer survivors of all ages to work up their courage to walk in a public celebration July 11 during the annual two-day Whatcom County Relay for Life.

Henry is in her first year as survivorship chair of the event and wants the community to set a record.

“I’m challenging the community to have 375 cancer survivors walk,” she said. “Though, to be honest, I really want to see 400.”

Henry, a senior teller for Washington Mutual, and husband Reed are the parents of Morgan, 11, and Jonathan, 7.

Question: Can it be difficult for some survivors to walk in public?

Beth: It really can be tough. But we really see this as a wonderful celebration, and we’d like to have as many people as possible participate, especially since just about everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer. A woman told me last year was her first to walk as a survivor and she was a basket case. It can become very emotional, but we’re asking all survivors to come join us celebrate.

We’re also doing “virtual survivors,” meaning people can march with the picture of a survivor, if the survivor can’t be there. That counts toward our record. And we’ll have golf carts and wheelchairs available for those who need them.

Q: Did Morgan’s illness inspire you to get involved in Relay for Life?

Beth: Yes, that and the fact I lost my grandmother to cancer and Reed lost his parents to cancer. This is my eighth year of involvement. The first year was because I was asked to join the Washington Mutual team. That first year, Morgan was the only child there, and she said we needed to have a kids’ team.

Q: So you now have a children’s team?

Beth: We’re in our fifth year with a team called Constructing a Cure. We have eight kids who are survivors, plus one child in memory, whom we lost. Very few people realize how prevalent children’s cancers are. Each day in the United States, 35 children are diagnosed with cancer.

Q: Morgan seems like such a healthy softball and basketball player, it’s hard to believe she went through all those treatments.

Beth: Morgan had pain in her joints in 2000 and she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She was a slow responder to initial treatment, and it was said her odds were about 65 percent in her favor. But she’s a fighter. Morgan is a survivor.

Question: Morgan, that’s a wonderful story you tell about jumping for joy into Lake Whatcom when you learned your treatments were finally over.

Morgan: What I really remember was the snow on the deck and how cold it was, and how Mom wanted to take a picture and couldn’t get the camera going. She finally got the picture.

Q: How else did the cancer affect you?

Morgan: Well, I’m going into sixth grade at Bellingham Christian School, but it would have been seventh grade if I hadn’t had to spend so much time in the hospital.