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Vanessa Bryant finds 'light in darkness' as Kobe and Gigi motivate her, fans say 'resilience is inspiring'

A little over a year after the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna, Vanessa Bryant talks about the 'unimaginable' pain she went through

Almost 14 months after the tragic loss the Bryant family had to endure, Vanessa Bryant spoke out about process her emotions and finding strength in the darkest of times. 

On January 26, 2020, NBA pro Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant died along with seven others in a helicopter crash, a tragedy that changed Vanessa and her surviving three other daughters' lives forever. A little over a year later, she sat down with PEOPLE magazine for the cover story of this week's Women Changing the World issue. "I can't say that I'm strong every day," says Vanessa. "I can't say that there aren't days when I feel like I can't survive to the next."

In the days, weeks, and months to come after the monumental loss, the world celebrated the illustrious life of Kobe, and his budding star Gigi. They also mourned with tributes and murals alike, joining in public gatherings to pay homage. But the 38-year-old Vanessa also has had three daughters — Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and 20-month-old Capri — to think of. And quietly, she busies herself in working towards building a life for herself and her family.

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Her first initiative was to take charge of unfinished creative projects at the late basketball pro's multi-media company Granity Studios, which she now helms. Recently, Vanessa also launched her late husband's charitable non-profit as Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation that helps empowers young girls and athletes, offering them equal opportunities. This was a vision Kobe had long dreamt of and what better way to pay a nod to the late father and daughter duo.

Resilient as she might have been, Vanessa showed astounding grace in her mourning, while she struggled through heartbreak and tried to be present for her daughters. "This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward," she tells PEOPLE. "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 talks about trying to focus on "finding the light in darkness," drawing inspiration from the lives lived by Kobe and Gigi. "I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going," she says. "They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional and they motivate me in so many different ways." A saving grace in all of this has been the power of love and having her three girls around. "My girls help me smile through the pain," she says. "They give me strength."

Her ultimate goal? "I want to make Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka and Capri proud," Vanessa says, signing off.

The interview that was published by the outlet digitally on March 3 has since garnered a huge wave of love, adoration, and honor from social media, all of whom have been touting Vanessa's strength.

"My love and respect for Vanessa Bryant is forever," wrote a user. Another said "I think about Vanessa Bryant often my heart hurts for her so bad." Sharing one of the cover shots from her PEOPLE feature, one user tweeted, "To see that she can smile like this and look so radiant is a testament to how strong this woman is."

Replying to People magazine's tweet sharing the cover story, a user wrote, "This cover is everything. Wow Kobe& Gianna that is still very shocking like I just heard the news yesterday. Vanessa's strength & resilience is so inspiring. I know her kids give her strength!!! Children really are blessing and get us thru some unimaginable times!"

To that, another replied: "Next month would've been their 20th anniversary&her oldest just turned 18&youngest is 20mos. Lot on her shoulders and especially as she's only 38, I cannot understand how Vanessa Bryant's mom isn't there for her."

Amidst everything, Twitter can't stop applauding her as one user rightly put it: "The strength Vanessa Bryant has is astounding. I can’t imagine such loss."