Last season, 30 Rock closed with an interesting season finale during which the cast of TGS banded together with some of their famous friends like Elvis Costello to host a fundraiser. The theme was “Kidney Now!” because Alec Baldwin’s character’s possible father, Alan Alda, ostensibly needed a new kidney. It turns out, however, that for one particular cast member, the theme of the episode hit very close to home.
Grizz Chapman (who plays Tracy Jordan’s sidekick on the comedy series) was diagnosed with hypertension when he was 24 years old, and he failed to take proper precautions given the seriousness of the diagnosis. Now, Chapman’s kidneys are failing, and he is awaiting a transplant. On Dr. Oz’s show last fall, he spoke candidly about how he is forced to undergo kidney dialysis for four hours a day, three days a week.
For Grizz, opening up about his kidney failure has been almost as hard as having to lose over 75 pounds to even qualify for a transplant. Hypertension is known as the “Silent Killer” in the African American community; when Chapman was first diagnosed, he was given blood pressure medication, but he soon stopped taking it after his friends poked fun at his medical needs.
Now, Chapman is speaking out and raising awareness of the dire situation he finds himself in that could have been avoided: “I want people to go to the doctor. Early detection is the key. I hope many of my friends and the public in general change their habits and take better care of themselves. I do not want what happened to me to happen to anyone else. Dialysis is tough,” the actor told Dr. Oz.
Grizz also appeared on Larry King Live last week with his 30 Rock co-star, Dotcom, to talk about his condition. In a heartfelt interview, Dotcom talks about how he, too, is losing weight to help keep Grizz motivated in his battle. At seven feet tall, Chapman was 500 pounds when he first learned that he would need a new kidney. Since kidney size is relative to body size, he will need to receive the kidney from someone of equal body size. Dotcom has said that if he is a match and his doctors grant him medical clearance, he would gladly donate a kidney to his friend. Now that is a truly heartfelt and inspiring message from a pair we only thought were playing co-entourage members on television!
I highly recommend following Grizz and Dotcom’s antics on Facebook and Twitter —not only are they highly amusing, they provide fans with candid updates on Grizz’s health.
Photo courtesy of Kirstin Dos Santos via Wikimedia Commons
