'30 Rock' actor Grizzwald Chapman reveals severe kidney condition on 'Dr Oz'

'30 Rock' actor Grizzwald (Grizz) Chapman reveals severe kidney condition on 'Dr. Oz Show'

By Cristina Kinon
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, December 14th 2009, 4:00 AM

"30 Rock" cast member Grizzwald (Grizz) Chapman is in a fight for his life.

The 6-foot-11, 378-pound actor is suffering from severe hypertension that has him on a dialysis machine three times a week.

He is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, but must lose over 75 pounds before he's considered a viable candidate. Even then, the wait is at least five years.

In a desperate measure to get on track and get healthy, Chapman opened up to Dr. Mehmet Oz of "The Dr. Oz Show" for help. He tells his story in an episode airing Tuesday at 3 p.m. on WNYW/Ch. 5.

"A lot of this stuff is new to me. Opening up is something I have to learn how to do if I'm going to be in this business," Chapman, 35, told the Daily News following the taping of the episode. "At first I didn't want to do it, but I felt that it would be a good situation for me to enlighten people to what's going on."

Chapman and Oz met at the 8th Annual Kidney Walk to benefit the National Kidney Foundation Serving Greater New York in October. Oz vowed to help Chapman but in return, asked him to become the face of hypertension in America.

In the episode, Chapman reveals that he ignored his high blood pressure for 10 years, even refusing to take medication for his condition. Now, according to Oz's "Truth Tube," Chapman has only 5% function of his kidneys.

"It's a painful problem for physicians to see because it's preventable," Oz said. "There are more than 25,000 cases of kidney failure in America each year because of high blood pressure, and the African-American community is especially at risk.

"I learned a lot today about what's going on in the minds of folks living with high blood pressure and not managing it," he said.

Oz also had Kevin Brown, aka "Dot Com," Chapman's co-star on "30 Rock," come on the show to help support his friend.

"He's getting that transplant!" Brown told the audience. "I'll lose the weight with him. For every 10 pounds he loses, I'll lose one pound. That's a deal!"

Oz has assembled a team of medical experts to help Chapman take the right steps to stay healthy until a kidney becomes available for him. Chapman is trying to stay positive, and says that just talking with Oz "makes you feel like you're healed already."

But Oz is quick to point out that Chapman still has a long road ahead of him.

"The reality of the prognosis is ... we don't know," said Oz. "It depends on how things are managed. It's like being at the halftime of a game. We didn't play so well in the first half, but there are a lot of opportunities moving forward. He's got a winning spirit, and if we follow his story carefully, everyone's going to learn a lot from it."

ckinon@nydailynews.com

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