Vanessa Bryant is reflecting on life and grief ahead of the one-year-anniversary of her late husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter Gianna Bryant’s deaths.
The mom of four took to her Instagram stories on Friday to share a message about grief, revealing that her daughters are her reason for living.
She wrote, “Let me be real. Grief is a messed up cluster of emotions. One day you’re in the moment laughing and the next day you don’t feel like being alive. I want to say this for people struggling with grief and heartbreaking loss. Find your reason to live.”
She continued, “I know it’s hard. I look at my daughters and I try to push through that feeling for them. Death is guaranteed but living the rest of the day isn’t. Find your reason.”
It’s been a difficult year for Vanessa, who tragically lost both her husband and daughter in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.
After the tragic event, which also claimed the lives of seven other victims, a memorial was held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. During the memorial service, Kobe’s widow gave a nearly 20-minute speech.
She began, “Thank you so much for all your prayers. I’d like to talk about both Kobe and Gigi. I’ll talk about my baby girl first. My baby girl. Gianna Bryant is an amazingly sweet and gentle soul. She was always thoughtful. She always kissed me good night and kissed me good morning.”
Adding, “Gigi was very competitive like her daddy, but Gianna had a sweet grace about her. Her smile was like sunshine. Her smile took up her entire face, like mine.”
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Vanessa also shared that she and Kobe had planned to spend some alone time before he died. “A couple weeks before they passed, Kobe sent me a sweet text and mentioned how he wanted to spend time together – just the two of us, without our kids, because I’m his best friend first,” she recalled.
“We never got the chance to do it. We were busy taking care of our girls and just doing our regular, everyday responsibilities. But, I’m thankful I have that recent text. It means so much to me.”
Despite experiencing an unbelievable loss, Vanessa has remained strong for her and Kobe’s three remaining children, Capri, Bianka, and Natalia.
