FIXING PACO
A STORY OF FAMILY, BIG DECISIONS, AND SECOND CHANCES
PACO FUENTES is a man with a full life. As a loving husband, father of four, and a handyman with a thriving business, Paco’s motto is always, “You broke it. I fix it!” But when his health begins to decline due to kidney failure, Paco must confront the disease that will change his life, and finally accept that he is now the one who needs to be fixed. Following the Fuentes family’s very real trials and tribulations in dealing with Paco’s illness, each episode of Fixing Paco educates dialysis patients and their families about the treatment option of kidney transplantation, living donation, and being proactive in healthcare.
Shot in English and Spanish, Fixing Paco is a groundbreaking series that cuts through language barriers, delivering a message of hope, as Paco triumphs in battling his disease and learns to live again.
MNITF created and produced Fixing Paco, an innovative telenovela-style digital series, in order to provide culturally relevant educational information on organ transplantation to Latinos and those suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
With help from a generous grant by the UniHealth Foundation, Fixing Paco was shot in both English and Spanish and follows the fictional Fuentes family’s triumph in battling kidney failure—a battle many Latino families face.
MAIN CAST
PAUL RODRIGUEZ appears as Paco Fuentes. Paul is a renowned stand-up comedian and actor whose film credits include D.C. Cab, Born in East L.A., Tortilla Soup, Rat Race, and Ali.
MARABINA JAIMES appears as Carmencita Fuentes, Paco’s wife. Marabina is an Emmy-winning host (PBS’s Storytime!) and actress whose TV and film credits include Two Feet In, SMILF, Criminal Minds, and Coco.
GLORIA GARAYUA appears as Margie Fuentes, Paco and Carmencita’s daughter. Gloria’s TV credits include Reckoning, The Good Doctor, Criminal Minds, and NCIS: Los Angeles.
CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ appears as Daniel Fuentes, one of Paco and Carmencita’s sons. Christian is a Latin Grammy nominee as part of the band RBD, one of the most popular music acts in Latin America. His TV credits include Loli’s Luck, Run Coyote Run, and The House of Flowers.
SOLEDAD ST. HILAIRE appears as Tia Julia, Paco’s aunt. Soledad’s TV and film credits include Dead to Me, Modern Family, and Real Women Have Curves.
THE NEED FOR FIXING PACO
LATINOS/HISPANICS are at greater risk of developing kidney disease and kidney failure. In fact, Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to have kidney failure than non-Hispanics. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the main culprits, making kidneys the organ in demand within the Latino community. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), nearly 50% of the patients on the waiting list for a transplant in the greater Los Angeles area are Latino. And at a national level, there are more than 23,000 Latinos currently awaiting an organ transplant.
After identifying the most common challenges Latino dialysis patients face in pursuing transplantation, MNIT discovered that nothing existed to meet the educational needs of the Latino population in an engaging format. To address this, MNIT created the groundbreaking Fixing Paco series to augment the One-on-One Kidney Transplant Education Program, and the episodes complement the teaching sessions of the program.
While the series is highly educational, it is also full of cultural humor and drama that defines dynamic Latino families. Margie Fuentes (Gloria Garayua), a young adult and aspiring doctor, deals with the stress of her father’s kidney failure by vlogging. Her father, Paco (comedian Paul Rodriguez), struggles with dialysis. Not only is Paco’s health failing, so is his handyman business. Fortunately for Paco, he has the support of his wife, Carmencita (Emmy-winner Marabina Jaimes), and their family to help him get through the ups and downs.
Fixing Paco shows the Fuentes family’s vulnerabilities and highlights the strength and determination that ultimately helps them prevail.
RESULTS OF THE FIXING PACO STUDY
THE KIDNEY TRANSPLANT VIDEO NOVELA PROJECT, also referred to as the Fixing Paco Study, is a direct result of lessons learned from providing the One-on-One Program to dialysis patients. Based on patient evaluations and feedback from peer educators over time, MNITF developed a deep understanding of Latino/Hispanic dialysis patients’ educational needs in terms of learning more about transplantation.
After determining that culturally sensitive, non-conventional educational tools were needed, MNITF created Fixing Paco, a telenovela-style digital series about kidney transplantation. Fixing Paco aims to inform dialysis patients and their families about the entire kidney transplant process, and teaches patients how to be proactive in their healthcare. Through using an entertaining format, Fixing Paco effectively communicates the essential information patients on dialysis desperately need to know prior to deciding to have a transplant
The initial project also included an evaluation component to assess the series’ impact on viewers’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about transplantation. Jennifer Unger, Professor of Preventive Medicine at USC Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, led the evaluation to determine the program’s effectiveness. The evaluation at dialysis centers included the completion of a survey by participating patients and their family members before receiving the program and after completing the program.
PUBLICATION: Myriam Forster, Jon-Patrick Allem, Nicole Mendez, Yasir Qazi & Jennifer B. Unger (2016). Evaluation of a telenovela designed to improve knowledge and behavioral intentions among Hispanic patients with end-stage renal disease in Southern California, Ethnicity & Health, 21:1, 58-70, DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2015.1007119. To link to this article, click here.
FIXING PACO RESULTS – ENGLISH