Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson revealed earlier this week that they have been diagnosed with coronavirus, and the actor posted an update to Instagram at the weekend which shared his state of mind since the diagnosis with his many fans. Rather than dwelling on the illness, however, the kind-hearted Oscar winner offered advice for coping amidst the pandemic. The 63-year-old, who is currently in quarantine with Rita in Queensland, Australia, uploaded a photo of a small cuddly kangaroo toy holding an Australian flag, alongside a tube of Vegemite with a small toy koala attached and a glass of water with two slices of toast and Vegemite.
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Tom captioned the picture: "Thanks to the Helpers. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other. Hanx." The first sentence of the actor's message made reference to children's TV presenter Fred Rogers, who Tom portrayed in his most recent film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. The iconic host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is now perhaps best remembered for a quote about coping with difficult times, which reads: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world."
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Actor Tom shared the inspiring message to Instagram
Tom's post provoked a moving response from fans, who were quick to show concern for his health. One commented: "Let us know how you are doing!" Another added: "Dear Tom, we think about you and Rita and pray that everything will pass soon… here in Italy, we’re living a surreal situation. The entire Nation is being stopped, everyone in their houses to fight this virus and the medical crew of each hospital work every day so hard since months…But we’re gonna get through it ‘cause we’re so strong."
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Adding a light-hearted touch to a worrying time, several of the dad-of-four's followers had some advice for Tom, too; jokingly expressing concern for the amount of Vegemite he appeared to be consuming! One wrote: "Tom.... step away from the Vegemite…" while another chimed in: "It's not peanut butter, apply it thinly, very thinly."
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