On Jan 26, the world lost one of the most known athletes, Kobe Bryant. Bryant was one of nine casualties in a helicopter accident. Of those nine casualties, his daughter, Gianna Bryant,  and baseball coach John Altobelli, John’s wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; mother and daughter Sarah and Payton Chester; Mamba Academy basketball coach Christina Mauser; and pilot Ara Zobayan. Fans were left feeling shocked and devastated from this unfortunate event. Many just wanted to know what exactly happened.

An outpour of tributes occurred as a result of this tragedy. The Lakers honored Kobe in an emotional tribute that took place in Los Angeles, California’s Staples Center. In empty seats sat two Lakers jerseys, number 8 and 24, both of Kobe’s numbers he wore. In a seat between 8 and 24 was number 2 for Gianna Bryant. One tribute was from Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother. She posted a series of videos and pictures to her Instagram remembering her loved ones who have transitioned. She pinned a letter to the world in hopes of helping someone who may be going through the same grief as she.

“I’ve been reluctant to put my feelings into words,” Bryant said in her post. “My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me.”

In an old video clip, Kobe can be heard explaining his reason for his preferred travel method, helicopter. Kobe explains that because he has to work and travel a lot for work, he missed milestones in his children’s lives.

He can be quoted saying “”Every chance I get to see them and spend time with them — even if it’s 20 minutes in the car — I want that.”