CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ella Bresee, the younger sister of Clemson football standout Bryan Bresee, died after a lengthy battle with brain cancer, her family announced Thursday.
"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," Bryan Bresee wrote on Instagram. "Never did I think I would be sitting here today saying bye to you ... You are the best sister a brother could ask for and I know for a fact heaven has gained a beautiful angel today."
Bresee has been away from the Clemson team this week to be with his family, coach Dabo Swinney said. The team was set to honor Ella Bresee at last week's game against Furman, but the 15-year-old was airlifted to a Washington, D.C., hospital. Bresee left Clemson immediately after the game to join his family.
To honor Ella, the entire Clemson football team wore T-shirts with "Ella Strong" on them during their pre-game Tiger Walk and warmups. During a media availability after Wednesday's practice, Swinney said he wasn't sure when Bresee would return.
"He'll play if he wants to play," Swinney said. "But he's got more important things he needs to focus on right now than football. A lot more important things than the game of football for that young man right now."
Clemson hosts Louisiana Tech Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
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