In bed and surrounded by friends, family and a heart full of hope, Middleburgh native, Geoffrey Armlin fights cancer. As our Erin Vannella reports, his is a story wrought with angst and daily triumphs--one sure to remind us all not to take life for granted.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

MIDDLEBURGH, N.Y. -- For 18 year-old Geoffry Armlin, what began as excruciating abdominal pain and a wishful guess at appendicitis, was actually cancer.

"They sent me here and told me it was Burkitts Lymphoma,” said Geoff Armlin.

It's one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. Tumors can double in size every 12 hours. Geoff was given two weeks to live.

"Then little by little we write it off to prayer and positive attitude, love and support," said Geoff's father Floyd Armlin. "He's coming around. He's beating it."

Geoff's father Floyd credits his son's current recovery to repeat visits from 100s of friends including Albany mayor Jerry Jennings, the Ronald McDonald House staff and hospitality, and not least of all, Geoff himself.

"There's things I wanna do!" said Geoff. "I wanna climb Mount Everest. I wanna travel the world. I wanna get married."

Strong in mind and heart, Geoff was accepted to SUNY IT in Utica to study applied mathematics and linguistics. But since he can't go for now he plays instead.

"I play guitar, piano, and I sing but I can't sing much right now," said Geoff.

"His mother told him that if you learned the Turkish March I'll give you $50," said Floyd Armlin. "In an hour's time, he had had it. He nailed it."

No surprise then that music has helped Geoff through, credit in part to FLY 92.3 for getting Geoff's favorite singer on the line.

"When he got a call from John Veseley, he's like I think I have the strength to do this," said Geoff's mother Tammy. "I can do this. And just to see that life come back in his face."

With a song in his head -- "Livin' on a Prayer" to be exact -- Geoff says he wants to make it, not just for himself but for his six siblings and parents. Together they say they take a day at a time.

"I'm crying and I'm hysterical and this and that," said Tammy Armlin, "And he'll reach out and he'll hold my hand and tell me it's OK."

"Anywhere there's a shadow nearby there's a light nearby casting that shadow," quoted Geoff. "So there's always something. There's always a way out. That helps me get through."