Sharon Stone brought down the house Thursday evening when she accepted the Courage Award during the Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s annual fundraiser, called An Unforgettable Evening.
But during her speech at the Four Seasons’ Beverly Wilshire hotel, she noted she lost money “to this banking thing,” an apparent reference to Silicon Valley Bank’s recent crash.
But Stone wasn’t looking for pity — she was using it as an example of the need for attendees to donate.
Choking up, she said, “The [cancer survivors] who stood up tonight, they’re worth more than you gave, and you know it.”
She told the crowd, “I know that thing that you have to … figure out … to text the money is difficult,” drawing laughs.
“I’m a technical idiot, but I can write a f****** check,” she said to applause. “And right now, that’s courage, too, because I know what’s happening. I just lost half my money to this banking thing, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not here.”
The Oscar-nominated actress added, “My brother [Patrick] just died, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not here. … So stand up. Stand up and say what you’re worth. I dare you. That’s what courage is.”
Stone’s impassioned speech detailed her own breast cancer scare in 2001. “I went to the hospital, saying, ‘If you open me up and it’s cancer, please take both my breasts,’ because I am not a person defined by my breasts.” She added, “You know, that might seem funny coming from me since you’ve all seen ’em.”
While Stone had a massive tumor removed, it wasn’t cancerous. She encouraged women not to be scared of testing and surgery if it comes to that. “You’ve all seen ’em since the surgery and you don’t even know it,” she joked.
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