There's nothing like a surprise visit from a hometown hero to put a smile on someone's face.
For 13-year-old Deandre Losero, that's exactly what happened last Friday when he hung out with Cory Jefferson, a forward on Baylor University's basketball team, after experiencing harsh bullying from classmates earlier in March.
Upon hearing about the incident, News Channel 25 reports that Jefferson stopped by to see Losero and give the Killeen, Tex. teen an autographed basketball, Baylor T-shirts and some moral support.
"It really does mean a lot, because I never would have guessed in a million years that so many people would be in support of me if something like this happened," Losero told News Channel 25.
When he was was walking home from school on March 7, Losero -- who has autism and ADHD -- was beaten up and called a series of racial slurs by a 16-year-old student. The attack was recorded on camera, and led to Losero having a broken wrist.
Jefferson -- who played on Baylor's 2013 NIT championship team -- shares Losero's hometown, giving the teen's story special significance to the basketball player. He tweeted on Friday:
Jefferson's act of kindness comes one month after another uplifting story demonstrated how a little bit goes a long way when it comes to bullied teens. In January, seventh grader Noah Brocklebank posted a photo to Instagram that revealed his plans to end his own life on his 13th birthday because of incessant bullying.
Noah's mom, Karen, created the website “Letters for Noah” and asked strangers to write encouraging notes to her son. The Baltimore Sun reported that by the time his birthday came in February, Noah had received 2,000 letters.
“I was focused on like, the bad side of the people, like the bullies,” he told CBS. “Then I realized, that there are caring people out there that could be my friends.”
Have you heard of any other uplifting stories about teens recovering from being bullied? Tell us in the comments or tweet at @HuffPostTeen.
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