Health

Tom Hanks sends encouraging letter to bullied boy named ‘Corona’

Sidney, Australia, Apr 24 (efe-epa) – Hollywood actor Tom Hanks sent a letter along with a special gift to an Australian boy, who wrote to the actor about being bullied in school because of his name, Corona De Vries.

The eight-year-old boy, who is a resident of Gold Coast, became concerned after he found out in mid-March that Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson had contracted the novel coronavirus during their stay in Australia.

In the letter, Corona asked the couple about their health and told them how he has being bullied by his classmates on account of his name ever since the current world pandemic broke out.

“I love my name but people in the school call me the coronavirus. I get very sad and angry when people call me this,” said the boy in his letter sent on Apr. 6 and broadcast by Australian television, Channel 9, which acted as the intermediary between the two sides.

“Even though I was no longer sick, getting your letter made me feel even better,” responded Tom Hanks, who returned to the United States after recovering from the infection.

“You know, you are the only person I’ve ever known to have the name Corona – like the ring around the sun, a crown,” the winner of two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes added.

In addition to his letter, Hanks also gifted the boy his vintage typewriter from L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriters inc.

“I thought this typewriter would suit you. Ask a grown-up how it works and use it to write me back,” wrote the actor, who has starred in movies such as “Forrest Gump” and “Philadelphia.”

“You’ve got a friend in me,” Hanks added in the end, alluding to a song from his movie “Toy Story.”

On receiving the letter and the gift, Corona expressed his happiness at having “a new friend in the US,” his family told Channel 9.

“It’s awesome. Because it’s so old it must have belonged to someone before they gave it to Tom Hanks,” Corona said about the gift. EFE-EPA

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