Vanessa Bryant has paid tribute to her late daughter Gianna

Taking to Instagram, she wrote in a tribute: "Dear Gianna, Happy 15th Birthday! ... I love you! I miss you everyday! I wish you were here with us. There are no words to express how much I miss you. I love you Mamacita! ... #15 #Quincenera #Mambacita #Principessa (sic)"

Meanwhile, Vanessa's daughters – Natalia, 18, Bianka, four, and Capri,

20 months – have helped her "smile through the pain" and they "motivate"

her to keep going.

She said: "Helping my girls navigate through this heartache is important to me. Making sure that they know that they are loved, supported and important is what motivates me.

"I can't say that I'm strong every day [and] I can't say that there aren't days when I feel like I can't survive to the next. [But] my girls help me smile through the pain. They give me strength."

Vanessa admitted she can’t always hide her sadness from her children, but said she always makes sure to "find the light in the darkness"

wherever possible.

She added: "My eyes and pain can't be filtered in person. They know mommy has hard days but when I see their faces when they realize that I've been crying, it makes me straighten up and push through for them. I counter it with making them smile about something ... Always finding the light in darkness."