Kylie Jenner generously donates $500,000 to build hospital lounge for teens with cancer

Kylie Jenner was recently the target of backlash after she was accused of not donating ‘enough’ to a GoFundMe supporting her injured former makeup artist.

But the KUWTK star, 23, may have just silenced her critics as it was revealed Wednesday she donated $500,000 to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jenner’s hefty donation, as well as monetary assistance given by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend’s Teen Cancer America, went towards the construction of a patient space, called the ‘Hey, I’m Here For You Teen Lounge.’

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, often referred to as Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, is described as ‘one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals, and the largest in the Southeast’ that deals with the ‘simple to the most complex’ of illnesses.

Kylie made her generous $500,000 donation in honor of her longtime pal and musician Harry Hudson, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013.

The Kylie Cosmetics CEO was by Hudson’s side as he battled the cancer of the lymphatic system, which he successfully overcame. 

‘I am so grateful for Kylie’s friendship and the impact she’s had on my life and my cancer journey,’ said Hudson in a press release. ‘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.’

He continued: ‘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.’

Hudson, who launched his Hey, I’m Here For You charity following his own cancer battle, described the lounge’s construction as ‘a full-circle moment for [him].’

‘And I am excited to continue growing my partnership with Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and TCA,’ his statement concluded.

The spacious lounge features numerous video gaming set-ups, a big screen television, an endless supply of movies, a meditation space, as well as a collective space for fellow patients to mingle. 

Taking to Instagram, Hudson further gushed over Jenner, who first began raising the funds in 2017 as she allocated a portion of her Kylie Cosmetics Birthday collection proceeds to Teen Cancer America.

‘Today is a beautiful day! A couple years ago @kyliejenner & I raised money to build a center for teens going through cancer in hopes of making their experience a little better,’ he captioned the post, which showcased various images of the recently completed lounge space.

‘Today we are so excited to finally announce the completion of the first #HeyImHereForYou Lounge @vumcchildren in Nashville. This space is the initial program of my new charity @hihfycharity which is focused on enhancing the lives of teens and young adults undergoing cancer treatment.’

In the heartfelt post, Harry passionately thanked his famous friend for ‘always having my back & helping make this dream become a reality.’

News of the hospital lounge’s completion and Jenner’s generous contribution comes after the star was crucified by fans for ‘not doing enough’ to help her make-up artist who needed monetary assistance following a car collision.

The mother of one, who is worth $900million, donated $5k into a GoFundMe for Samuel Rauda towards his $10k medical expenses and shared a post encouraging others to contribute if they wanted to.

Yet when fans questioned why she didn’t cover the full cost, Kylie explained her actions and said Samuel is not her current make-up artist as had been reported by other outlets. 

She wrote: ‘I feel it’s important for me to clear up this false narrative that I’ve asked fans for money and am not paying for my makeup artist’s medical bills.

Followers criticized the youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner brood for not doing enough to help but Kylie explained the amount she gave was simply what had been the target total at the time.

As of Tuesday morning, the total stood at $100,031 of a $120,000 goal.

Kylie continued: ‘Sam isn’t my makeup artist and unfortunately we don’t have a personal relationship anymore but I worked with him a few years ago and think he’s the sweetest.

‘I saw my current makeup artist and friend Ariel post about Sam’s accident and his family’s gofundme and i called Ariel immediately to see what happened to Sam.

She added: ‘After learning in more detail about the accident it compelled me to visit his gofundme which was was set at 10k.

‘They had already raised 6k so i put it in 5k to reach their original goal and thought I’d post on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone else felt compelled to share or donate. 

‘I don’t know how all of this got so twisted but his family has reached out through Ariel and are very appreciative of all the donations, prayers, and love towards Sam.’

In another post, Kylie wrote: ‘Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be.

‘Let’s all stay positive and keep Sam, his family, and anyone you know who is going through a difficult time in our prayers. I hope you have a beautiful day and let’s encourage each other to help.’

It is not known exactly what Sam’s injuries are, but his friends have said he underwent major surgery last Sunday.