Tom Hanks sends heartfelt letter to 8-year-old who was bullied for having the name Corona

Actor Tom Hanks recently made an 8-year-old boy's day by sending a typewritten letter and gift to him encouraging him after he had been bullied for having the name Corona.

The boy, Corona DeVries, had recently sent a letter of his own to the actor and his wife, Rita Wilson, after discovering that they had tested positive for COVID-19 while in Australia filming a movie. DeVries, himself from the northern Gold Coast of Australia, felt a connection with Hanks and wanted him to know he was thinking about him.

Along with the unexpected response letter, Hanks — who is a prolific collector of typewriters — also sent DeVries a special Corona brand vintage typewriter as a gift.

"I thought this typewriter would suit you," Hanks wrote in the letter, asking DeVries to use it to write him back.

The letter reads:

Dear Friend Corona,

Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful! Thank you for being such a good friend - friends make 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. You know, you are the only person I've ever known to have the name Corona - like the ring around the sun, a crown.

I thought this typewriter would suit you. I had taken it to the Gold Coast, and now, it is back - with you. Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back.

In a handwritten note on the letter, Hanks, the voice actor for Woody from "Toy Story," told DeVries that "you got a friend in me."

"It's awesome," DeVries after receiving the gift, according to Metaflix. "It's so old it must have belonged to someone before they gave it to Tom Hanks."

In an interview with "Today" Show Australia on Thursday, DeVries said that he hasn't written the letter yet, but he will shortly.

Here's more about the story:

Aussie boy's hilarious response to Tom Hanks' vintage gift | Today Show Australiayoutu.be