<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Basic Six]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Basic Six]]></description><link>https://www.thebasicsix.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:28:06 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thebasicsix.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Oh, You’re So Young]]></title><description><![CDATA[In an effort to find a little bit of hope and maybe even a sense of community, I went to a breast cancer support group at a local hospital. I went once. I never went back. I sat down and looked around the room. I was the youngest person there by far. Please know that I am not ageist and I truly respect people of all ages. This was just the reality. Quite a few of the women spoke about being grandmothers and having retired. I was still working full time as I needed to keep the roof over my...]]></description><link>https://www.thebasicsix.com/post/oh-you-re-so-young</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69efa4ded3f2ae6dd9119cdd</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:03:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_b7718b1eb5e74085afebae4168df53ce~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amanda Caroline Bleich</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Musings on Chemotherapy and Self Worth]]></title><description><![CDATA[About a week before I started chemotherapy, I found myself sitting on the floor of my kitchen crying uncontrollably. Earlier that day, I went for an echocardiogram in order to get cleared for this part of my treatment. I got pulled over, and a police officer gave me a ticket for a moving violation. This was the first time in almost 20 years of driving. It felt as if the world around me was crumbling down. I felt so incredibly alone and scared. I remember in my hysterics trying to figure out...]]></description><link>https://www.thebasicsix.com/post/musings-on-chemotherapy-and-self-worth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69efa47ee72f74b1ddab5a4a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:01:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_a3a9ee5092f847949413ed2ddaee51ef~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amanda Caroline Bleich</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Journey Begins]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was July 11th, 2023. I was having a biopsy taken for something that looked highly suspicious on my left breast. Something that we all knew was cancer. The doctor performing the procedure asked where I was planning to do treatment. Even before we received the results. Everyone was certain. Even me. When I received the dreaded call the previous month that something was found on my routine mammogram, I knew. Leading to my appointment in New York City, there were so many signs. Everywhere I...]]></description><link>https://www.thebasicsix.com/post/the-journey-begins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ef968fd00855f52b1e71f5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:03:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f55fd95a99924b80ab6f98cb0890afaf.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amanda Caroline Bleich</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>