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Steamboat Springs — Cathryn Wohlfert thinks her cancer survivor story isn't bad - it's pretty good, even.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in late December 2007, Wohlfert quickly found a wide base of support in Routt County. A friend's physician and fellow breast cancer victim served as an emotional touch point. Kind words poured in from all sides.

As she got deeper into a patchwork community of survivors, Wohlfert heard so many trials and tales, it was hard to think hers would stand out in any way, she said.

"You hear a lot of people's stories, and it's really inspiring and breathtaking," she said. "I think that for me, I got diagnosed at the age of 35, so that was kind of a blow. That may be the only thing that's important for me to teach other people : not just old people get cancer."

What does stand out about Wohlfert's journey - which included a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy treatments that ended in June 2008 - is the strength of will that propelled her through it.

Sitting on her deck at the Rockies Condominiums on Tuesday afternoon, Wohlfert tugged on her chin-length hair to display her time out of treatments, and outlined a "Let's get it done" approach to fighting a disease that the American Cancer Society estimates affects about 1 in 8 women during their lifetime.

"You just take care of it - that's what you do. You just make sure that you don't get it back, and you just do everything that you can, and make sure that you live and that you're grateful for living," Wohlfert said.

Relay For Life

On Aug. 7, Wohlfert will host the survivors' reception at the Steamboat Springs Relay For Life.

Starting after the survivors' lap around the track at Steamboat Springs High School, the reception is a way for Wohlfert to give something back to the people who gave so much to her, she said.

"It's been a wild ride. : This is a really cool community, and I just wanted to do something, I just wanted to contribute somehow," she said.

Wohlfert has spent her rare spare time during the past few months compiling a list of people in the community who have had cancer or have been otherwise affected by it. That list includes more than 180 names of people who have survived cancer in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding areas, she said.

"It's just a way to honor the people who have struggled and been touched by cancer, and that's what this is all about," she said.

While survivors come together inside the high school, members of teams who have signed up to raise money for the American Cancer Society through Relay For Life will walk laps around the track outside. Starting at 6 p.m. Aug. 7 and going through the night into the morning Aug. 8, this year's Relay includes some new events that will make the fundraiser a bigger community experience, said event co-chair Linda Jackson.

"This is the 25th year of Relay For Life, and it was founded on the concept of cancer never sleeps - and by the way, cancer doesn't know we're in a recession, either," Jackson said.

With 41 teams and 339 participants registered, and almost $50,000 raised as of Thursday evening, the Relay exceeded $200,000 in total funds last year. Organizers hope to hit the $200K mark again. During the event, teams are encouraged to host face-painting, Scrabble competitions, S'mores cook-offs or anything else they can think of at their tents, Jackson said.

"We want to keep Relay fresh every year and bring the community in to see us on the night of Relay," she said. As cancer statistics continue to increase, Relay volunteers and other activists become more motivated, Jackson said.

"It's a cause, it's a purpose, it's a mission, it's all of the above to make as much as we can for the research to continue," she said. "And we've made great strides : the American Cancer Society has made these huge, huge contributions to cause and cure."

In remission

Wohlfert is in remission now. If everything looks OK on a test coming up in about two weeks, she won't have to be tested again for a year.

She doesn't hold on to many things from her time in treatment. But she does keep a locket with her sister Susanne's ashes inside - after losing her sister in January 2008, a few weeks after her diagnosis, Wohlfert said she thought about her "little angel" often, fighting to get through the cancer for her family as much as she did for herself.

In remission, Wohlfert is taking time to get outdoors to ride a mountain bike and stay active. She's making sure that she's living and that life doesn't attack, she said.

"You've got to be on your toes and make sure you're always watching it," Wohlfert said about living through breast cancer. "Enjoy today, because that's one thing it does - it kind of opens your eyes to all that stuff."