Clemson defensive end Bryan Bresee announces the passing of his sister, Ella

Clemson defensive end Bryan Bresee announced heartbreaking news on Thursday, revealing the passing of his sister, Ella.

In an Instagram post that’ll tug on your heart strings, Bresee beautifully found the words to make a post that nobody ever wants to.

“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,” wrote Bresee. “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 as for and I know for a fact heaven has gained a beautiful angel today.

“Love you forever and always Ella bear.”

After Clemson defeated Furman last Saturday, Bresee returned home to be with his family as Ella battled brain cancer. He had and continues to have the full support of his team, as Tigers coach Dabo Swinney made one thing clear: football should take a back seat.

Clemson was preparing to honor Ella at the aforementioned game, but she couldn’t make it due to a setback in her treatment. Still, the Tigers gave her the game ball afterward, and Bresee headed back to Washington, D.C. to be with her.

As for his status for Clemson’s game against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 17, Swinney stated Bresee will return whenever he’s ready. His family is more important at the moment.

“I don’t know and really don’t care,” Swinney said of when he thinks Bresee will come back. “As I said yesterday, there’s a lot more important things than football. 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.”

After Clemson’s victory in Week 2, the Tigers donned “Ella Strong” shirts to honor her. Additionally, she was with the team the entire week prior, even speaking with the Tigers last Wednesday.

It’s evident Ella made a huge impact on Swinney and the Clemson team as a whole, inspiring an entire squad full of warriors. Now, they’ll be playing for something bigger than themselves throughout the remainder of the season.

The thoughts and prayers of the football world are with Bryan Bresee, his family, friends and the Clemson Tigers.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.