CBS Partners with NKF to Increase Awareness about Living Kidney Donation

 

October 31, 2019 - In a current storyline, the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful (B&B) features main character “Katie Logan” receiving a kidney transplant – and our National Kidney Foundation (NKF) medical and educational team lent their expertise to ensure accuracy of the living organ donation and kidney transplantation storyline.

 

To close the October 8^th B&B episode, CBS broadcast a CBS Cares public service announcement (PSA) nationwide featuring actor Heather Tom (Katie) to help increase awareness about the importance of living kidney donation and included the NKF web site for viewers to learn more. CBS Cares also posted online a second PSA featuring actor Katrina Bowden (Flo), who plays the kidney donor in the daytime drama’s storyline.

 

This partnership has garnered media attention for NKF and CBS! The latest are two national media clips featuring an interview with “Katie” actress Heather Tom talking about the B&B storyline, the importance of living kidney donation, and NKF’s role:

NKF has heavily promoted the partnership and the CBS Cares PSAs encouraging living donation, and the CBS/B&B team promoted the partnership with their own media e-blast!
 
In the separate, additional opportunity CBS extended to NKF, the network has been airing all this month a new NKF-produced PSA about becoming a living donor and NKF’s national educational platform THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE, featuring NKF Kid Ambassador and singing star Angelica Hale!

 

In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease (CKD) – and most aren’t aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults is at risk for CKD. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a family history of kidney failure, and being age 60 or older. People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are about 3 times more likely than Whites to develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD or kidney failure). Compared to non-Hispanics, Hispanics are almost 1.3 times more likely to receive a diagnosis of kidney failure.

 

Depending on where a patient lives, the average wait time for a kidney transplant can be upwards of three to seven years. Living organ donation not only saves lives, it saves money!

 

THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE platform is designed to increase kidney transplantation and living donation. It includes in-person trainings, direct patient and caregiver support through our toll-free help line 855.NKF.CARES (855.653.2273), peer mentoring from a fellow kidney patient or a living donor, online communities, an advocacy campaign to remove barriers to donation, and a multi-media public awareness campaign.