To all the kids out there, you’ve got a friend in Tom Hanks.
Multiple Australian television networks reported on Thursday that the actor surprised a local 8-year-old boy who was being bullied partly because he was named Corona.
It all started when Corona De Vries wrote to Tom and his wife Rita Wilson after they were diagnosed with COVID-19.
“I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the Coronavirus,” Corona wrote according to Channel 7 News. “Are you ok? I love my name but at school, people call me the Coronavirus. I get very sad and angry when people call me this.”
Lo and behold, the outlet reported that Tom saw the letter and replied with a special gift.
“Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful,” Tom wrote. “Thank you for being such a good friend. Friends make their friends feel good when they are down. I saw you on TV, even though I was back in the USA already—and all healthy. Even though I was no longer sick, getting your letter made me feel even better.”
But wait, there’s more!
Tom gifted the young boy a Corona brand typewriter that was previously shared on Instagram.
“Hey folks. Good News: One week after testing Positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs. Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch. Bad news: My wife @ritawilson has won 6 straight hands of Gin Rummy and leads by 201 points,” Tom previously shared. “But I have learned not to spread my Vegemite so thick. I travelled here with a typewriter, one I used to love. We are all in this together. Flatten the curve. Hanx.”
Tom later wrote in his personal letter to Corona, “Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back…You’ve got a friend in me.”
Well done, Tom.
For the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and for tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov.
