11 Good News Stories: A ‘King’ Or A ‘Star’; Walkabout Around The World

ACROSS AMERICA — Brody Kuenzler couldn’t quite decide if he felt more like a “king” or a “star” when he stepped onto the ice last week at Madison Square Garden

“Fantastic,” the 12-year-old from Holbrook, New York, said to describe his feelings after being selected to ring the bell and drop the first buck ahead of the Rangers-Devils NHL matchup.

The Raiders’ “Hockey Fights Cancer” program selected Brody for the honor because he’s been cancer free for three years now.

Brody was selected for the honor to mark three years of cancer-free living. After he started experiencing leg pain and developed a limp in late 2018, doctors diagnosed him with a rare form of bone cancer. Now that he’s been cancer-free for three years, “it was time to celebrate,” his mother said.

It was time to ring that bell and signify the end of his and my worry of cancer. I mean, every time we had to go to have repeat scans done, my heart was up in my throat until I knew he would be okay.” » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Sachem (New York) Patch

One Foot Ahead Of The Other

Tom Sullivan has every right to boast, though he won’t. The 87-year-old Mokena, Illinois, resident made the equivalent of one trip around the world on foot in two decades. He started on the 25,000-mile trek in 2000 as a way to ring in the millennium. He didn’t figure on making the first 5,000 miles, or even 1,000 of them. He accomplished the latter ahead of schedule, giving him the resolve to keep walking until he surpassed his goal, which happened more than a month ago. “I don’t want to sit around and pick my nose,” Sullivan told Patch. “It just seems to me that a lot of people hit an age, and they just sit around and wait to die. To me, that’s not too appealing. If I’m going to go, I want to go with my shoes on.” » By Jeff Arnold for Mokena (Illinois) Patch

‘One Human Trying To Help’

Darlene Morace says she’s just “one human trying to help out another in a tough spot.” Her neighbors in Patchogue, New York, qualify as the latter. The family’s oldest son was severely injured in a blaze that destroyed their home and killed their dogs. They lost almost everything, so Morace started a crowdfunding campaign. “I was just like, ‘this is the best way that I can help — give them donations so that they can get the things they need at the time that’s most convenient for them because they don’t have a home,’ ” Morace said. » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Patchogue (New York) Patch

‘Just Doing Our Jobs’

Their Thanksgiving Day shift at the East Harlem subway station was anything but what police officers Brunel Victor and Taufique Bokth expected — routine. Instead, they were hailed as heroes by the end of the day after the dramatic rescue of a 40-year-old man who felt dizzy and toppled onto the tracks. A good Samaritan was already attempting to lift the man back to the platform as the train approached when the officer arrived, giving an assist just before the train arrived. “We were just doing our jobs, like we do on a daily basis,” Victor said. » By Nick Garber for Harlem (New York) Patch

Also Just Doing Their Jobs

Police officers in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, found themselves involved in a different kind of Thanksgiving Day rescue. Gazelle, a Chihuahua, had wandered away from her home that morning, only to end up in the freezing cold water “for who knows how long,” local police said on Facebook. Gazelle’s family had plenty to be thankful for on Thanksgiving evening. » By Karen Wall for Toms River (New Jersey) Patch

Your Turn, Sister

Sister Kathleen Coll, 87, planned to drive straight through to her convent in Newark, New Jersey, from Long Valley, where she had been visiting family for the holidays. It was a cold November night, and she had a flat tire, but didn’t know exactly where she was, so no one knew exactly where to pick her up. A series of things that weren’t supposed to happen culminated with the nun’s rescue by Newark police. “My aunt gives so much service and heart and soul to her community … it was her turn tonight to receive much needed help,” her niece said. » By Eric Kiefer for Newark (New Jersey) Patch

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Tastes Of Home

When Maria Avila and her relatives decided to open their first-ever coffee shop, there was no question which neighborhood they'd choose: the Upper East Side, where she and her husband have spent their lives. “We are a family that's grown up in the neighborhood, we continue to live in the neighborhood, and our vision is to bring Latin American culture here to the Upper East Side,” said Avila, who owns Cositas Café along with her husband Nick, her mother, and his parents. Maria’s parents hail from Honduras and El Salvador, while her husband’s are from Columbia and Ecuador. The menu currently focuses on Colombian cuisine, but l\look for it to expand to include other flavors of Latin America as the restaurant grows. » By Nick Garber for Upper East Side (New York) Patch

Pop-Up Is Her Niche

Ellen Lunay has found her niche at a time when bricks-and-mortar shops have a tough time competing. The Arnold, Maryland, businesswoman operates pop-ups after signing short-term leases for vacant storefronts — a winning arrangement for landlords and shops. “I have such a big following now because [it] creates a sense of urgency when you're a pop-up shop," Lunay, 51, told Patch. “We kind of rely a lot on our reputation and our regular customers that we have to come wherever we are.” She sells holiday gifts in her latest pop-up venture. » By Jacob Baumgart for Annapolis (Maryland) Patch

Penguin The Chicken Is Home

With the cap-lock on and more punctuation than necessary, the panic was clear in the prose of the message posted to the Crown Heights Patch's neighbor post board: “MISSING!!! CHICKEN!!” Chicken mom and couples sex counselor Lovetta Taillor, 37, was said she was quite honestly losing her mind after her chicken, Penguin, “went adventuring.” She’s back home now after an epic journey through Brooklyn that began last spring. » By Peter Senzamic for Prospect Heights-Crown Heights (New York) Patch

Fritz’s Toothy Grin

Stop what you’re doing right now and look at these stinking cute pictures of Fritz, the baby brother of the celebrated Cincinnati Zoo hippopotamus Fiona, stealing the show with his toothy grin. Fritz, who was born Aug. 3, is teething, and Twitter users just can’t get enough of his broad smile. “I’d lay my life on the line for Fritz,” one user tweeted. “Not to be dramatic,” another user said, “but I would die for Fritz.” » By Beth Dalbey for Cincinnati (Ohio) Patch

Parting Shot

Fishtopher isn’t smiling — in fact, the rescue cat in Camden County, New Jersey, appears to be the original sour puss. His moody expression was a big hit on the internet, capturing hearts around the world, including a woman from Baltimore who adopted him. He hardly looks like the same cat in the photos his new person posted on Instagram. » By Michelle Rotuno-Johnson for Gloucester Township (New Jersey) Patch

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