Kylie Jenner is helping to make a positive impact on the lives of young cancer patients while honoring a friend.
In 2017, the 23-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star announced that she would donate $500,000 from sales of one of her Kylie Cosmetics lines to Teen Cancer America, in honor of her longtime pal, singer-songwriter Harry Hudson, a cancer survivor. On Wednesday, March 31, the charity and Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. announced that her donation and additional funds from the group were used to pay for the construction of a new state-of-art lounge for teen and young adult (AYA) cancer patients, which was recently completed.
The main sitting area is equipped with Wi-Fi, a big screen television and a selection of video games. The lounge also includes a meditation room.
Harry was successfully treated for stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma after being diagnosed in 2013 at age 20. The now-27-year-old musician later established the teen cancer charity Hey, I'm Here For You.
"I am so grateful for Kylie's friendship and the impact she's had on my life and my cancer journey," Harry said in a statement. "She has always been there for me, and together, we wanted to figure out a way to be there for other young people who are battling this disease. With the help of Teen Cancer America, we were able to contribute the first Hey, I'm Here For You Teen lounge at Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt — a comfortable space for young people undergoing treatment to pursue their passions. This is a full-circle moment for me, and I am excited to continue growing my partnership with Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and TCA."
Kylie said in a statement, "Teen Cancer America is an incredible organization, and I'm so blessed that I was introduced to it through Harry. It's been an incredible process to see this come to life, and I send well wishes to all patients and their families."
The hospital lounge project has been in the works since 2017 and was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In August of that year, on Kylie's birthday, Teen Cancer America announced that the reality star would donate a portion of her Kylie Cosmetics proceeds to the charity.
"I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for helping me raise money for Teen Cancer America," she wrote on social media that September. "I am donating $500,000 from sales of my birthday collection and this donation will help improve the lives of teens and young adults with cancer. Thank you all for helping me make a difference."