Keanu Revees reportedly donated 70 percent of his 'The Matrix' salary for cancer research

Keanu Reeves, 57, contributed a large portion of his salary from the first "The Matrix" film to cancer research, reports 22 Words. Reeves was reportedly paid $10 million upfront for the 1999 sci-fi film and then an additional $35 million when it became a box office hit. The actor gave a staggering $31.5 million which is 70% of the proceeds to fund leukemia research.

This act by Keanu Reeves, who is one of the most generous actors in Hollywood, was very personal to him. His young sister, Kim, had been battling leukemia for eight years at the time. Reeves wanted to do everything he could to facilitate research for treatment for leukemia to help people battling the disease.

Kim was diagnosed with blood cancer in 1991 and went through ten years of treatment and therapy before ultimately being cancer-free in 2011. Reeves continued to donate to cancer research much after that and even created a cancer fund to help patients financially and emotionally during this prolonged illness. As a primary caretaker of Kim during her battle with cancer, he helped her with her treatment, went to hospital visits, and supported her throughout her recovers per Daily Mail. He also sold his home and moved in closer to his sister to give her all the support she needed. The Matrix sequels were delayed and Reeves reportedly spent over $5 million on multiple therapies to aid Kim in her recovery. He said, "She was always there for me, you know. I will always be here for her."

Reeves has experienced the grief that cancer brings on the patient and everybody around them. He aims to do his part in working towards developing treatment methods for this illness and supporting the patients and their families with anything he can. The "non-profit" set up by the star ran for years without drawing any attention to its founder. Reeves talked about his foundation in Ladies Home Journal, saying, "I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research." He added that he doesn't attach his name to the foundation and wants to let it run by itself. 

In 2020, Reeves auctioned a Zoom date with himself for 15 minutes and donated the proceedings to Camp Rainbow Gold, a summer camp for Idaho children with cancer. The bidders of this auction were ready to pay thousands of dollars and the date was given to a bid of $19,000, all of which went to the camp for children with cancer, the New York Post reported. Reeves aims to continue working for the foundation and do everything he can to make cancer bearable for families all around the world.