When he is not protecting quarterbacks from the pressure of opposing edge rushers, Browns offensive lineman 
Earlier this month, Thomas paid a visit to one special Browns fan, 18-year old Porter Lyons, at Cleveland Clinic. Lyons, the son of season-ticket holder Douglas Lyons, had a heart transplant on New Year’s Eve.
A senior at James A. Garfield High School in Garrettsville, Lyons suffered heart failure on Christmas morning and was rushed to the hospital, where he was then placed on a heart transplant list. While waiting for a transplant, Porter had a device placed within his heart to help pump blood through the aorta and was also put on machines which added oxygen to his blood.
Lyons was supposed to attend the New Year’s Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with his father, but instead was recuperating from the transplant.
“The amazing thing was how he was perfectly healthy and then, Christmas Eve, he was a little bit short of breath and a week or so later, he’s got a new heart,” Thomas said. “As a kid who’s only 18, to go through all of that and be as positive and upbeat as he was when I saw him was really impressive.”
Cleveland Clinic staff learned Thomas was Lyons’ favorite player and through the team, helped arrange the visit from the five-time Pro Bowl left tackle.
“The Cleveland Browns gave me a little bit of background on the situation and I got to hear how big of a Cleveland Browns fan he was and how big of a fan of mine he was,” Thomas said. “I was really excited to go out there, cheer him up a little bit and present him with a jersey and to hear a little bit about his story in person.”
Thomas enjoyed his time with the Lyons family and did his best to help them through a difficult situation.
“As athletes, one of the really good things we can do is go to hospitals and cheer kids up a little bit and give them a distraction,” Thomas said. “That’s what sports are, a great distraction from your everyday life. It’s great to be able to cheer him up and give a little bit of hope and help progress things along with the rehab.”
Douglas Lyons, a Browns season ticket holder since 1999, knows well what his son is going through. He received a heart transplant at the Clinic 24 years ago. The elder Lyons later had a kidney transplant, which was not linked to his earlier heart surgery.
Porter’s mother, Karen, is a breast cancer survivor.
“It’s amazing to have two people go through that when they’re young and in the same family,” Thomas said of the father and son heart transplant recipients. “He’s so fortunate to be able to have something like that happen with the amazing Cleveland Clinic right down the road, get him there and basically, save his life with a heart transplant. It’s just an amazing story.”
