Clemson standout Bryan Bresee announced the death of his younger sister on Thursday morning. Ella Bresee, who had been fighting brain cancer, was 15.
“My beautiful sister Ella you amazed me every single day with the fight that you put up and how joyful you were constantly through this battle,” the defensive tackle posted to Instagram. “Never did I think I would be sitting here today saying bye to you. I want to thank you for bringing happiness to not only me but so many people. You are the best sister a brother could ask for and I know for a fact heaven has gained a beautiful angel today, Love you forever and always Ella bear.”
The Tigers paid tribute to Ella Bresee in Saturday’s game against Furman, wearing “Ella Strong” T-shirts. The Bresee family traveled from their home in Maryland to Clemson for the game, but Ella had a medical emergency and she was hospitalized, missing the game.
Bresee, 20, left the team to be with his family after the Tigers’ 35-12 win. Coach Dabo Swinney said Bresee could miss No. 5 Clemson’s game against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
“There’s a lot more important things than football,” Swinney said Wednesday. “He needs to focus on what he’s doing and [if] he’s ready to be back and ready to play, hey, we’ll be here. But right now, he’s right where he needs to be.”
–Field Level Media