HOLBROOK, NY — As Brody Kuenzler stepped onto the ice Monday at Madison Square Garden, right before the start of the Rangers and Devils' hockey game, he couldn't decide whether he felt like a "king or a star."

"Fantastic" was his word to describe the exhilaration.

The 12-year-old Holbrook boy was given the rare honor of ringing the bell and dropping the first puck before the two teams' captains, marking the three years that he has been cancer-free as part of the Rangers' "Hockey Fights Cancer" night.

To say he had some excitement is to say the least.

His mother, Theresa, who accompanied him out on the ice, said described their journey since then as "a little bit of a whirlwind."

"Brody's playing the role of celebrity these last few days," she added.

The feeling is a far cry from three years ago, when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.

Beginning in late 2018, he experienced leg pain and developed a limp. Theresa and her husband, Bobby, brought Brody to a children's orthopedist, and eventually doctors found a tumor enmeshed at the base of his spine.

Brody underwent aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment for about a year, which sent him in and out of Coen's Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park for two weeks every month.

"We literally lived at the hospital," Theresa said.

Brody was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at 2, so Theresa left her job to be by his side and make it easier for him.

He also underwent radiation treatment, requiring the family to travel out-of-state for six weeks, and he finished in November 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic was just right around the corner.

"Frankly, [the doctors] were not sure about the ramifications for a child who just out of treatment" and the deadly virus, Theresa said, adding, "so we had him on lockdown in a big, big way here in the house when COVID-19 first hit."

But there's been a light at the end of the tunnel for the youngster.

Brody's oncologist explained the chances of his cancer returns decreases significantly, so it was suggested that he take part in the ceremonial ringing of the bell to mark three years, Theresa said.

"So Brody has been done with treatment and has been without cancer coursing through his body for three years now, and so it was time to celebrate," she 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."

"Now that we have reached that milestone, we can rest a little easier," she added.

The question now, is whether his puck throw made him a hockey fan?

Theresa said her father played hockey as a young man, so it's always been a part of her family, while Brody loves going to any kind of sport, as well as cheering on the teams, he has not shown an interest in playing hockey.

"He's learning the rules as he goes," she said.

Brody goes to Seneca Middle School and plays cello in the orchestra, and in his spare time takes part in soccer and baseball teams for children with special needs. Before his cancer, Brody, who loves to run, took part in competitive track, but now he is only an honorary member of the team.

Before his treatment started, he had trouble walking and needed a walker to get around. He still goes for physical therapy and though he has dropped the walker, he needs a brace to help with his gait.

"If he could get out of the brace, it would be wonderful," she said.

Theresa does not believe that Brody will ever be able to take part in competitive sports again, but he does have other interests, such as music and art.

"We're going to explore the other side of his creativity," she said.

He also loves science fiction and has a special devotion to all things Godzilla.

Brody has seen every one of the 50 or so movies that were ever made, and he has an enormous collection of Godzilla characters.

"It's all about Godzilla; that's his number one guy," Theresa said.

Theresa said the family was able to make the connection with the Rangers at a Garden of Dreams event.

Once at the Garden, the staffers treated Theresa and Brody like royalty.

"It was unbelievable," Theresa said. "They are such a well-oiled machine there. The staff worked so harmoniously, they and they could not have been any more helpful. They were just magnificent."

The pair were taken into a "lovely" waiting area and then there was a practice run before the game where they were brought out into the massive arena.

Brody told Theresa that he might not be able to make the real run by himself so he asked her to escort him.

Theresa said she nervously paced in the waiting area wondering to herself, "Oh, my God, am I going to look okay?"

"And the camera adds 10lbs," she said. "You start to worry about all that kind of silly stuff. But at the point I was walking out, it was just about Brody. I was just focused on wanting him to have a good time and to wave and to smile and really take it all in at that point."

Just before the game, wearing an enormous Rangers jersey, Brody made his celebration official as he threw out the first puck.

Afterward, the pair were brought to a suite where they go to watch the game and nosh on some food.

"It was something that we will never forget for as long as we live," Theresa said. "Forget about the enormity of actually being out on center ice ... like, Brody, how amazing was that? Right?"

"It was totally fantastic," Brody agreed.

But he was "a little nervous" as he stepped out onto the rink.

He was awed as the sight made him think that he was maybe "a king or a star."

"It was maybe the biggest stadium on the planet," he said.

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