It’s been a year since the tragic death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Now Vanessa Bryant is looking back on her “heartbreaking” year of grief.
The widow opened up on Instagram about her devastating loss as the one year anniversary of their death approaches.
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“Let me be real,” Vanessa wrote on her Instagram story last week. “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. 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.”
Throughout this past year, Vanessa has shared memories of her husband and daughter, including heartfelt notes on Kobe’s birthday and when his team, the LA Lakers, won the NBA Finals last year.
In December, Vanessa shared some additional words of encouragement for people going through the grieving process.
“I wasn’t going to do this one, but thought it was important to share because you never know when someone is going through problems of their own,” she wrote at the time. “I genuinely think that it is so important to find your close circle of trusted people and be able to vocalize your feelings to them when you are down or not feeling like yourself.”
“I genuinely think that it is so important to find your close circle of trusted people and be able to vocalize your feelings to them when you are ever down or not feeling like yourself,” she continued. “This is also a lot easier said than done but just know that you are never alone. This is something I have learned throughout this year and still continue to work at with the help of close family and friends.”
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA, in addition to six other passengers and the pilot. Kobe and his daughter were survived by Vanessa and their daughter’s Natalia Bryant, 17, Bianka Bryant, 4, and Capri Bryant, 18 months.