Vanessa Bryant Shares Heartfelt Letter From Gianna's Friend

Vanessa Bryant is sharing a heartfelt letter from one of Gianna’s friend’s on the one year anniversary of her untimely passing.

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January 26, 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, and 7 others. While this day is hard for fans everywhere, there’s nobody suffering more than Vanessa, her oldest daughter Natalia, and everyone else who lost their loved ones on that awful day.

In honor of her baby girl, Vanessa ended up posting a letter she received from one of Gigi’s best friends that was able to bring some light to such a tragic day.

“Today I received this sweet letter from one of Gianna’s best friends, Aubrey,” she wrote underneath the letter on Instagram. “I love you Aubz (as my Gigi would call you). Thank you so much for beautifully sharing some of your memories of my Gigi with me and allowing me to share them here on my ig. My Gigi is INCREDIBLE and I truly appreciate your thoughtful letter. She loves you so much.”

She continued, “I miss my baby girl and Kob-Kob so much, too. I will never understand why/how this tragedy could’ve happened to such beautiful, kind and amazing human beings. It still doesn’t seem real. Kob, we did it right. Gigi, you still make mommy proud. I love you! #PlayGigisWay #Mambacita #Mamba #DaddysGirl #GirlDad”

In the letter, Gianna’s friend, Aubrey Callaghan, wrote about how much her friendship with Bryant meant to her, going into detail about just how much she misses her, listing all the things she learned from the 13-year-old during their time together. She also praises Vanessa for her parenting and tells Bryant that she hopes she can find a little bit of happiness in just how well she raised all of her children.

“You have probably heard this, but if I ever become a mom, I hope my daughter turns out exactly as yours did,” Aubrey wrote. “She was kind, caring and endlessly polite.”

She continued, “I hope that in the midst of your intense sadness you catch a glimpse of joy in who the daughter you created and raised was. You did it right Mrs. Bryant, and we are all eternally grateful to you.”