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Georgia made it to shore, but as Melissa was pulled up by another member of the group, the crocodile reappeared and dragged her under the water.
The King Charles III Award recognizes actions where civilians put themselves at risk in an attempt to save someone else.
Getting out of the horrific ordeal was a “silver lining,” Georgia told British news agency PA Media.
“It kind of softens the whole traumatic experience.”
“What made this story so amazing is Melissa’s unwavering courage through it all because she was so strong through it and I don’t think I would be here without her, she really gave me the strength to keep fighting she added.
For both sisters, the scars of that day still remain.
Georgia initially found Melissa floating unconscious face down in the water and revived her before the crocodile returned and attacked again, according to a Tuesday press release from the UK cabinet.
Georgia initially managed to fend off the animal by hitting it with one hand while holding her sister’s head above water with the other, but the crocodile returned a third time.
This time, the reptile gave Melissa a death roll — a maneuver in which a crocodile flips with its prey in an attempt to drown them — but Georgia was able to hit it, the release added.
She suffered bite injuries on her arm, but the blow was strong enough that the crocodile eventually freed her sister.
A passing boat rescued them from the water, but there was another 25-minute journey to shore and a 20-minute journey to the hospital, during which time “Melissa is fighting her own battle for survival,” the twins said on their JustGiving page.
Melissa was left with a compound open fracture of her wrist, severe stab wounds to her stomach, intestines and intestines, as well as several bite injuries to her leg, foot and glutes, according to the JustGiving page.
She underwent emergency surgery before being placed in a medically induced coma.
She developed sepsis in the hospital but eventually made a full recovery, the page added.
Now both Georgia and Melissa are preparing to take part in the Thames Marathon – a 13km swim in one of the UK’s longest rivers – in August to raise money for PTSD UK and Compañeros En Salud, a Mexican charity which provides aid and medical training to impoverished communities in Chiapas.
“The further away it gets, the less real it feels,” Georgia added.
“Because when you think about it, it really does sound like a horror movie, but it’s part of our lives, it’s part of the tapestry of our lives.”
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