Want to be sly as this fox? Know your GFR!
February 4, 2009
Arizona Kidney Foundation’s TV Spots Filmed with Extras Personally Touched by Chronic Kidney Disease
SCOTTSDALE – Katherine “Kailani” Fox won her role in the Arizona Kidney Foundation’s new public service announcements (PSAs) for the obvious reasons: She’s tall, dark and gorgeous and the former Mrs. Arizona USA winner has a gentle countenance about her that translates great on film. What you may not know is that the 49-year-old Scottsdale beauty is also a healthy living advocate, a mother of four, a grandmother of one, and an army veteran who served as an avionics tech on Apache Helicopters!
Fox’s father had to have his kidney removed – the result of diabetes and high blood pressure – so Fox painfully had to learn about GFR the hard way. When she saw the casting call go out on Craig’s List for the TV spots, she jumped at the chance to help educate the public on the dangers of kidney disease.
“Living in Scottsdale, people are so conscious of how they look on the outside,” observes Fox. “The ‘Know Your GFR’ campaign highlights the importance of knowing how you look on the inside. Unfortunately, like my father, we tend to not care for our vital organs until something terrible happens.”
The Arizona Kidney Foundation’s public service announcements were filmed with many actors and extras whose lives, like Fox’s, had been touched by kidney disease and now wanted to give back by being a part of the bold PSAs. The PSAs are designed to encourage Arizonans to take charge of their kidney health.
Glomerular Filtration Rate or GFR is considered to be a key indicator of kidney condition. The odds of slowing or managing kidney disease increase significantly when chronic kidney disease is detected early. One in nine American adults (26 million) has Chronic Kidney Disease – and, of those, 90 percent don’t know they have it, according to the Arizona Kidney Foundation.
Like most Americans, Fox was aware of her blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, however, she had no idea what GFR even meant until her father suffered the dire consequences of kidney disease. “I want my children to know about their grandfather and live a preventative lifestyle,” says a determined Fox. “No one sticks a doughnut in their mouth and thinks this may affect my kidneys down the road. But I want my kids to be aware of it, and my father has lost weight and is now extremely conscious of his diet. And when I go to the doctor – I have my GFR checked.”
Fox now moves forward in her own life, more passionate than ever to the power of awareness and taking preventative measures. When other women note how gracefully she ages, Fox imparts her beauty regime: “I really believe that thirty percent of how you age is determined genetically, and the other seventy percent is a function of your lifestyle. Know your GFR – it’s imperative. I plan to be running around and still looking great when I’m 80!”
Visit www.KnowYourGFR.org for more information.
Arizona Kidney Foundation is a state wide non-profit foundation dedicated to providing education about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and helping kidney disease sufferers overcome the medical, financial and logistical challenges of CKD. For more information, call (602) 840-1644 or visit www.azkidney.org.
Courtesy Photo
Kailani Fox