They met every Sunday, the big man and the little girl.
Ryan was a fun-loving star lineman on the Bowling Green State University football team, Ella a bright but shy third-grader from Perrysburg who was born with no eyes.
They connected as part of a sports program that pairs children with special needs with student volunteers at Bowling Green, and became fast friends.
For more than two years, they played everything together. Baseball. Basketball. Football. The sessions became a highlight of their week.
“I’ve never seen Ella smile like she did when she was learning from Ryan how to play a sport,” said her mother, Jill Ibsen.