Jennifer Lawrence visits hometown hospital, talks beginnings

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Jennifer Lawrence is spending her holidays in her hometown of Louisville, and took some time this week to visit the local Kosair Children's Hospital.

The Joy actress took photos with patients during her visit, which WDRB reports has become an annual tradition for the celebrity.

Lawrence met kids such as Cooper Fullen, 8, who is reportedly awaiting surgery to find if a tumor on his adrenal gland is cancer. She also snapped a photo with Fullen's sister, Bailey -- who sent photos to WDRB -- among other children.

During a recent interview with NPR, Lawrence detailed her booming career's humble beginnings in New York, saying she used to share food with rats.

"I didn't really have any money, so if a rat had eaten my loaf of bread, before when I first got there I [would have been] like, 'Ew!' and throw the whole loaf of bread away," she told the outlet.

"But eventually I was like, 'God, I'm not going to be able to afford bread.' So I started just cutting around the hole that the rat ate. I got to a point where I was literally sharing food with a rat. So that's when my parents were like, 'Yeah, I think she really, really wants to do this.'"