Tom Hanks sends typewriter and a sweet note to bullied boy named Corona
Tom Hanks gifted his personal typewriter to an Australian boy being bullied for having the name Corona. The Oscar-winning actor included a note of encouragement, telling the 8-year-old, "You got a friend in ME!"
Corona De Vries from the Gold Coast in Queensland wrote to Hanks asking how he and his wife, Rita Wilson, were feeling. (Hanks and Wilson were treated for COVID-19 at a Queensland hospital last month.)
"I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus," the boy asked, per Reuters. "Are you OK?"
Corona said he loved his name but was "sad and angry" because people at school called him the coronavirus. Hanks replied with a letter typed from his Corona brand typewriter, which he brought with him to Australia.
"Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful!" Hanks wrote. "You know, you are the only person I’ve ever known to have the name Corona — like the ring around the sun, a crown."
Australian television network Channel 7 News aired an image of the letter, per Reuters.
"I thought this typewriter would suit you," Hanks noted. "Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back."
Hanks, who has voiced Woody in all four Toy Story films, concluded with nod to the beloved franchise: "P.S. You got a friend in ME!"
Hanks and Wilson have recovered from the coronavirus and are back in Los Angeles.
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHO’s resource guides.
How to maintain your physical and mental health during the pandemic
Taking care of a loved one with COVID-19? Here’s how to stay healthy
Q&A with Dr. Kavita Patel: How to keep your family safe and maintain your mental health
Watch: Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson test positive for the coronavirus:
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
