17 Days

STILL HERE — a FREE, in-person grief support group powered by 17 Days.

This isn’t therapy.
This isn’t forced sharing.
This is real people having real conversations with others who actually understand loss.

Whether your loss is recent or years old… whether you lost a spouse, parent, child, family member, or friend… you are welcome here.

📍 FIRST MEETING: Wednesday, May 27
🕖 7PM – 8PM: Anyone grieving
🕗 8PM – 9PM: Widowers (men) only

📍 Location:
Sarva Center for Well-Being
1754 E Boston St. Suite 101
Gilbert, AZ 85295

What we’ll do:
• Introduce ourselves (only if you want to)
• Talk about grief, life, survival, and healing
• Share stories, struggles, and coping tools
• Listen without judgment
• Build connection with people who truly “get it”

You do not need to have the right words.
You do not need to be “doing okay.”
You just have to show up.

If you know someone grieving, please share this with them. There are a lot more people hurting silently than we realize.

Still living.
Still growing.
Still here. ❤️

Cancer stole my wife.

No negotiation.
No warning.

It just took her.

17 days.

One day she was here—
a wife,
a mom,
a daughter,
a sister,
an aunt
a friend

Then she wasn’t.

Now she lives in
memories,
pictures,
smells,
and quiet moments that hit out of nowhere.

Cancer steals. But we still survive.

What took your person?

Cleaning out the closet.

When is the right time to let go of clothes?
Throw away socks and underwear?
Turn shirts into a memory blanket?

You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to throw away a toothbrush.
A used toothbrush.
but one your spouse used.

The truth is, there is no timeline.

When you’re ready, do it.
If you’re not, don’t.
If you start and need to pause…. good.
That means you’re listening to yourself.

Don’t listen to people saying it’s time.
Or that you’re holding on too long.
Or that it’s too soon.

Do it on your timeline.

And there may be things you never let go of.

For me?
A $4.99 tube of hand cream from Bath & Body Works, and a three-tier tray decorated for the season.

What about you?
What couldn’t you let go of?

I struggle with understanding “why”.
Why aren’t there more cures?
Why do people die so young?
Why her? Why me? Why us? Why them?

And then I start to question other things.

Like why is my friend Ollie still fighting?

He’s 13 years old.
Had 4 tumors.
A stroke.
A port in his head.
Has had countless surgeries.
….And is having a very serious surgery right now!!

Why does this happen? Why can’t he just be cured? Why can’t his family get their healthy boy back?

I don’t know the answer to any of this. But I do know a few things.

You have to have faith!
You have to have hope!
You have to have belief!
You have to keep fighting!
And you have to love hard AF!

So if you are still reading this, please say a prayer for, think about, fight with, and have belief that my friend Ollie will be ok today! 🥺💕🙏 💚

Read more about him and Please consider donating to his fundraiser below:

Donate to Ollie Strong - Expenses for Fighting Brain Cancer, organized by Nathan Gauthier On January 9, 2026 Ollie learned his brain cancer was growing again … Nathan Gauthier needs your support for Ollie Strong - Expenses for Fighting Brain Cancer

We can cry.
We can bawl.
We can be sad.
Devastated.
Have our worlds ripped from us.

But we are not weak!!

We can hurt.
Miss our loved ones.
Take time to live again.
Change who we were.
Learn to live in a world without them.

But we are not weak!!

We are widowed. NOT WEAK!!

Share this to let someone know you are hurting but not weak!!

I’m a Widower.

It doesn’t define me.
It doesn’t describe me.
It doesn’t control me.
It didn’t steal my sense of humor.

But it’s the definition that fits.
“A man who’s spouse has died”

I can still smile.
I can still laugh.
I can still have a sense of humor.

So when I saw this random guy wearing a “Hubby” shirt, I had to take a photo.

Same word. Different story.

It’s not easy but I try to make grief a little more normal. I try to make the uncomfortable a little more comfortable.

And if the world is going to give me a title, I’m going to wear it loudly!

How would you caption this photo??

I’m a widower.

I’m not a marketing expert.
I’m not a social media guru.
I’m definitely not a big box store.

But yesterday, I wore one of my shirts in a post
and the response blew me away.

So I wanted to share this.

I created this brand for widows, widowers, survivors,
and anyone going through some real s**t.

I turned pain into purpose.
I encourage people wear what they’re feeling.
I try to make the uncomfortable a little more comfortable.

This isn’t an ad.
This isn’t a sales pitch.
This isn’t spam.

This is just me showing the world that grieving is normal.

And you don’t have to hide it.

Which shirt hits you the hardest?

And if you want to check them out; they are on my website at:

17days.me

There was a time I thought love was a “one time thing.”

You get it once and that’s it.

When Sonya died, I didn’t just lose my wife, I lost the idea that I’d ever feel that kind of connection again.

And if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I wanted to.

Because loving someone again felt like betrayal, and losing someone again felt like a risk I couldn’t survive twice.

But life has a way of proving you wrong.

Not quickly.
Not easily.
And definitely not how you expect.

Then Rachel came into my life.

Not to replace anything.
Not to fix anything.
But to show me something I didn’t think was possible.

That your heart doesn’t run out of love.
It just learns how to hold more.

Loving again after loss isn’t moving on.
It’s moving forward.

And if you’re in that place where you feel stuck between the past and the possibility of something new…

I see you.

You’re allowed to love again.
Without guilt.
Without comparison.
Without fear owning your future.

Because love isn’t something you only get once.

It’s something that finds you again, when and if you’re finally ready to let it.
(And if not… that’s ok too)

If this hits, share it with someone who needs to hear it today. 💕💕💕

I’m very thankful to have my story published in the VoagePhoenix Magazine today! 💕🙏💕

This all started with the worst 17 Days of my life and turned into a platform for me to help so many others.

You are not alone! You are not broken!

Community Highlights: Meet Shane Musgrove of 17 Days Local StoriesApril 1, 2026 Community Highlights: Meet Shane Musgrove of 17 Days Local Stories Share Tweet Pin Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Musgrove. Shane Musgrove Hi Shane, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. My story really begins on March 13th, 2022. That’s the ...

“You’re so strong.”

That’s the biggest lie people tell grieving people.

You don’t need to be strong.
You need to survive.

Eat something.
Drink water.
Get out of bed.
Take a shower.
That counts.

Celebrate the little wins.

Your heart shattered.
Your world shattered.
You will eventually pick up the pieces.

But today… today is about SURVIVAL

If nobody told you today —
you’re doing better than you think.

Drop a ❤️ if today is a survival day & follow me for more real talk about grief.