Sharon Stone says she lost half my money to this banking thing: "Not an easy time"

Sharon Stone said, "This is a difficult time in the world," after she revealed that she had lost money due to recent bank failures.

65-year-old Academy Award nominee said that she "lost half of my money to this bank thing", presumably referring to two major bank failures. However, she still planned to write a check for the Women's Cancer Research Fund. She made this tearful speech at Thursday's unforgettable evening benefit gala in Beverly Hills.

She said, "And right now that's courage also. Because it's all happening. I just lost half of my money to this bank thing, but that doesn't mean I'm not here. My brother has died. That doesn't mean I'm not here. This is not an easy time.

"This is a difficult time in the world, but I'm not having any politician tell me what I can or cannot do, what my life's worth, and what my value is. Stand up. I challenge you to stand up and tell the world what you are worth. Stone added, "That's courage."

Stone didn't explain what she meant when she said "banking thing", but her statement came after two of the largest bank failures in America -- Washington Mutual in 2008 and Bank of America in 2008 -- occurred in 48 hours.

According to the Associated Press, the U. S. government seized Silicon Valley Bank (and Signature Bank) following a bank collapse. Federal regulators have since guaranteed all deposits and created a program that will protect other banks from similar events.

Stone was presented with the Courage Award at an Unforgettable Evening in recognition of her support for breast cancer research. She told PEOPLE on the red carpet that she had benign tumors removed from her breasts in 2001 and has since had another surgery to remove the tissue.