Photo: Instagram
She's doing the best she can.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Aug 24, 2022
It has been two and a half years since Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, perished in a helicopter crash, leaving his wife, Vanessa Bryant to raise their three daughters alone.
Since losing Kobe and Gianna, Vanessa has been open about the pain of losing her husband and daughter, as well as how she manages to continue celebrating life and raising her daughters through her grief.
Currently, Vanessa has been embroiled in her ongoing trial against L.A. County regarding graphic leaked images of Kobe and Gianna and the seven other victims of the fatal January 2020 helicopter crash.
"I just remember not wanting to react because the girls were in the room," Vanessa said during her emotional three-hour testimony. "I bolted out of the house and I broke down and cried and I just wanted to run down the block and scream. I can't escape my body. I can't escape what I feel."
Vanessa Bryant has shared some powerful quotes about surviving grief.
In a March 2021 interview with People for their Women Changing the World Issue, Vanessa opened up about how she has worked to rebuild her family with daughters, Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 3.
"I can't say that I'm strong every day," Bryant shared. "I can't say that there aren't days when I feel like I can't survive to the next."
She also disclosed that one of the hardest parts of moving forward is overcoming the pain she feels due to the loss of two of the most important people in her life.
"This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward," she continued. "Lying in bed crying isn't going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that's what I do."
Vanessa also opened up about "finding the light in [the] darkness," and channeling her "Mamba mentality," which is inspired by Kobe and Gianna, into her job as a mother and everything else that she does.
“I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going,” she told People. “They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional and they motivate me in so many different ways.”
In a 2021 Instagram story, Vanessa spoke candidly about dealing with grief, calling it "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," she wrote. "I want to say this for people struggling with grief and heartbreaking loss. Find your reason to live. I know it's hard."
Vanessa shared that her three daughters help give her reason, adding: "I look at my daughters and I try to push through that feeling for them."
"My girls help me smile through the pain," Vanessa told People. "They give me strength."
"I want to make Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri proud."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.