Actor Tom Hanks Sends Special Gift to Boy Being Bullied Because He is Named Corona

While filming in Australia last March, actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were diagnosed with the coronavirus. They were quarantined for three weeks, but they are back to good health and have returned to their home in the United States.

When Hanks returned home, he found a letter from an 8-year-old boy from the Gold Coast in Queensland. The youngster was checking on his idol and his wife. His note was short and to the point. He said he heard on the news that his idol and his wife had been tested positive for the coronavirus. Then he asked, "Are you OK?"

The young fan shared a problem he was having at school. Corona DeVries said he was being bullied because of his name. His classmates and others at school were calling him "Coronavirus."

Corona said he likes his name and does want to change it, and he knows he is not a virus. However, the bullies make him feel "very sad and angry."

Hanks responded in a way that was bound to make Corona feel much better. The actor typed a heartfelt letter on his Corona typewriter. He wrote to the young boy and used the salutation: "Friend Corona." Then he said, "Your letter made us feel so wonderful!" before addressing the boy's problem. "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 boy was delighted to receive a response to his letter, and his spirit must have been lifted by the surprise gift that Hanks sent him. It was the actor's personal vintage Corona typewriter that he had taken to Australia with him.

The iconic actor added, "I thought this typewriter would suit you. Ask a grown-up how it works. And use it to write me back." Then he added a post-script that is a nod to a Toy Story classic hit:

"You got a friend in ME!"

The boy was delighted to receive a response to his letter, and his spirit must have been lifted by the surprise gift that Hanks sent him. It was the actor's personal Corona typewriter that he had taken to Australia with him.

The iconic actor added, "I thought this typewriter would suit you, Ask a grown-up how it works. And use it to write me back." Then he added a post-script that is a nod to a Toy Story classic hit:

"You got a friend in ME!"

In the actor's kind way of handling things, he included some self-addressed envelopes to make it easy for Corona to send him a letter.

It is good to have a friend like Tom Hanks on your side. Now Corona DeVries has Hanks as his friend, and he has a special gift to prove it. Not many people have received a gift of any kind from their Hollywood heroes.

The DeVries family told Australian Nine News that the boy was excited to get a "new friend in the US." He said the typewriter is so old that it must have belonged to someone before it was given to Hanks.

People have the same names as hurricanes, but I don't think they are bullied for their names. In fact, some women deliberately name their babies after hurricanes if they are born during a hurricane.

Corona beer knows how the little Australian boy felt. Their beer sales have decreased during the coronavirus pandemic. It was one of the top-selling beers worldwide. In fact, Corona Extra has been the highest imported beer in the United States since 1998.

After the coronavirus spread throughout China in February 2020, the beer company noticed a $170 million loss in earnings in that country alone. However, the name can't be blamed for most of the loss because there has been a drop in beers worldwide since people are not frequenting bars and restaurants as they used to do.

In a survey for the beer with the crown as its logo, some people said it was in "poor taste" to advertise the brand during the pandemic. Some beer drinkers revealed they were embarrassed to continue purchasing Corona. So, they changed their brand. Others said they would not purchase Corona beer under any circumstances because of its name. Some said they would not order a Corona in public. Some regular Corona beer drinkers said they planned to stop drinking that brand.

Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo are good friends who tease each other a lot on CNN. When Cuomo was quarantined in his basement at home, Lemon jokingly asked him on-air if he had received the Corona beer he sent him.