“I only did what I had to do. I did nothing special.”

Those were the words of 13-year-old Leah Cocks who has just received the John XXIII Award for Kindness.

Leah came to the rescue of 14-year-old Kelly Grech without any prompting.

The two girls were at the middle school in Tarxien together. They were in the same class.

Leah realised that Kelly was not coming to school and when she learnt why she just jumped in and helped.

Why did Kelly need Leah’s help?

WATCH: Teen wins peace prize for standing by her friend

... Imagine a healthy 12-year-old going to bed at night. Then imagine the shock that she gets on trying to get out of bed the next morning but cannot move and is in excruciating pain.

That’s what happened to Kelly, who used to be a very energetic girl involved in gymnastics, dance and who formed part of a choir and had her own circle of friends.

It was in November 2015 that Kelly’s life changed completely.

She experienced an extreme growth spurt which was not synchronised with the growth in the rest of her body.

“I was in a lot of pain and bent over like an old lady,” she said while she and her best friend Leah took a short break after their exam.

Kelly experienced numbness in her hands and feet. “I was curved up in bed, looking at the wall. I withdrew into my own shell, traumatised,” she said.

She did not turn up at school for four months. During this period Leah took it upon herself to write notes down for Kelly, which she then sent over with another student who lived closer to her.

“We were not really close friends at the time, even though we were in the same class. But I wanted to make sure Kelly did not miss out on her studies.”

Then doctors ordered Kelly to return to school on March 1 last year. Her parents were very worried.

However, immediately, Leah jumped in and saved the day. Since Kelly was using a rollator to walk, Leah would carry her school bag and accompany her during lunch break with her food and drink. She was always trying to cheer Kelly up.

For two whole weeks Leah did all the talking – Kelly had withdrawn and did not speak to anyone due to the trauma.

Then after those two weeks out came the first two words – “thank you” directed at Leah who had stood by her while her supposed ‘friends’ had moved on as they were scared of her.

Leah was genuinely interested in her friend, with whom she shared hundreds of phone messages during the summer break.

“I encouraged Kelly when she went to physio, or to the doctor. We kept in touch by phone. I wanted to know that she was OK,” she said.

Although Kelly might seem OK she still suffers daily pain especially in her waistline and shoulder blades. She explained that she will continue to need daily therapy. “I will need this until I stop growing, according to my doctors,” she said with a smile.

The two girls are now looking forward to spending more time together away from the school environment during the summer months. “We are also looking forward to the two families coming together and catching up,” they remarked simultaneously.

Leah was nominated for the kindness award by the school’s headmaster Michael Mercieca and deputy head Miriam Vella. The school had already recognised Leah’s kindness by giving her their own certificates of merit.

“She’s incredible and incredulous. She thinks she has done nothing special. But she did so much,” said Ms Vella proudly.

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