Covid 19 coronavirus: Tom Hanks pens heartwarming letter to bullied boy named Corona

Tom Hanks has penned a heartfelt letter and sent a personalised gift to an Australian boy who wrote to him after being bullied over his name. Photo / AP

Actor Tom Hanks has penned a heartfelt letter and sent a personalised gift to an Australian boy who wrote to him after being bullied over his name, Corona.

Eight-year-old Gold Coast boy Corona De Vries wrote to the actor on April 6 after Hanks had recovered in hospital from Covid-19.

Corona's handwritten letter said: "I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus.

"Are you OK?"

In it, Corona revealed he likes his name but has been bullied at school since the coronavirus outbreak.

He said people at school called him "coronavirus" and it made him "sad and angry".

After returning home, Hanks responded to Corona with a letter and a personal gift - a Corona typewriter.

"Dear Friend Corona," Hanks started.

"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.

"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."

Tom Hanks has sent this letter to a Queensland boy named Corona. Photo / 7NEWS Gold Coast

Hanks then handwrote an extra message on his letter, saying: "PS, you got a friend in me."

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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. 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

A post shared by Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) on Mar 17, 2020 at 2:19pm PDT