The Incredible Thing Reese Witherspoon Just Revealed About Her Mom

Outside of acting, Reese Witherspoon likes to make a difference in the lives of others. The "Legally Blonde" star was recently named an honorary chair of the Avon Foundation, a breast cancer research and domestic violence prevention charity. "As a woman and a mother, I care deeply about the wellbeing of other women and children throughout the world and through the years, I have always looked for opportunities to make a difference," Witherspoon said of the honor, per Hello! Magazine.

The philanthropic star has also done her best to pass along her knack for serving others to her children. "Every year we pick a charity that we really love, to invest in a project all year long," Witherspoon told People in 2016. In the same way she is doing for her kids, it seems Witherspoon inherited her compassion from her parents, who worked in the medical field. According to Harper's Bazaar, Witherspoon's father was a surgeon, whose medical service in the military led her to spend her first five years of life in Germany. Now, Witherspoon is speaking up about the amazing things her mother did for others in her profession.

Reese Witherspoon recently opened up on "The Drew Barrymore Show" about her mother's amazing nursing career. "I've watched my mother save people's lives," Reese said of her mother. She recalled to host Drew Barrymore the times throughout her life her mom stepped in to be a hero. "She helped her very best friend had a bad accident when we were very little and I watched her resuscitate her on the side of a highway," the actor said.

Witherspoon raved about Barrymore's efforts to honor the hard work of health care workers on the show for the holidays. "The whole audience was nurses and it filled my heart with joy," Witherspoon wrote on her Instagram Story. According to the actor, her mother, Betty Witherspoon, was a nurse for 30 years. The "Big Little Lies" star recently opened up about her mother's impact on her life in a post celebrating Betty's 73rd birthday. "She always told me to dream BIG, laugh EVERYDAY, be Creative whenever you can, enjoy every flower you see and be of service to OTHERS in this life," Witherspoon wrote of her mama.

During her interview on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Witherspoon shared what kept her mother going in nursing. "Even though my mom was tired, she was like, 'I have purpose,'" she shared. "And having purpose in your life is such a big part of being a human being. Like, what are we here for? We're here to care for each other."