Who is Bryce Dunlap? 21-Year-Old Brown's Fan Who Died Due to Anoxic Brain Injury Donates Organ to Ex-NFL Star

Bryce Dunlap, a 21-year-old lifelong Cleveland Browns fan from North Olmsted, Ohio, passed away last weekend after suffering complications from an anoxic brain injury, but his final act saved the life of his football hero, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, who received Bryce's liver in a transplant surgery on 17 November.

The 2022 North Olmsted High School graduate was watching a Browns game when he suddenly became short of breath, according to a GoFundMe page created by his aunt, Tracy McCanna. He was rushed to hospital, but by last weekend, his family learned he would not survive.

A Mother's Impossible Decision

When it became clear Bryce would not recover, his mother Kim Kane and father Adam Dunlap made the heartbreaking decision to honour their son's wishes as a registered organ donor. Meeting with officials from LifeBanc, Ohio's organ procurement organisation, the couple faced an unimaginable question about whether they knew anyone on the transplant waiting list who could receive a directed donation.

LifeBanc confirmed the match was viable. Bryce's liver would save the former Browns quarterback's life.

'He Was a Good Boy'

Kane described her son as 'full of humour, kindness, and an energy that lifted everyone around him'. Family members knew him affectionately as 'Uncle Big Head, Bubbers, My Boy, Mama's Boy'.

When Bryce took his final breaths, he was wearing his favourite Browns shirt. Family and friends gathered around him, all wearing Cleveland jerseys to say goodbye.

'This would have meant so much to him to do something', Kane said. 'He just touched a lot of lives. He was a good boy. He was a good boy'.

Bernie Kosar's Health Crisis

Kosar, 61, had been on the liver transplant waiting list for more than a year. The former Pro Bowl quarterback, who led the Browns to three AFC Championship Game appearances in the 1980s, has dealt with severe health issues stemming from his playing career, including more than 80 broken bones, over 100 concussions and nearly 40 surgeries.

He revealed in July 2024 that he was facing life-threatening liver problems, including cirrhosis, and needed a transplant urgently. Just days before receiving Bryce's liver, Kosar had undergone seven separate procedures to stop internal bleeding, and a previous transplant had been cancelled when the donor organ was found to be infected.

Community Support

The GoFundMe campaign created to help the Dunlap family with funeral expenses and financial support has raised more than $50,000 from over 610 donors as of Tuesday evening, far exceeding the initial goal.

'Bryce touched countless lives, and will continue to do so as an organ donor', McCanna wrote. 'We want to honour him in a way that reflects the love he shared so freely'.

More than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for organ transplants. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ. Bryce Dunlap's decision to register as an organ donor when he renewed his driver's licence gave Bernie Kosar and his family a second chance at life together.