A woman standing barefoot on a pebbly beach holding a long surfboard with a colorful pattern in a seaside landscape.

A Photo Essay of Surfer Millie “Nene” Nabeshima by Karen Masumoto

Millie “Nene” Nabeshima grew up in Oceanside, California. The ocean has always been part of her life. At 27, she watched her mother go through cancer. During treatment, her mother began surfing for the first time at 50. What started as a distraction became a source of strength. Through that experience, Nene saw how the ocean could hold pain and still offer renewal.

Motherhood, Nene says, means redefining yourself again and again. It asks you to let go of who you were and step into something unknown. Her journey has included her mother’s illness, the loss of her first pregnancy, and the pressure of navigating cultural expectations. Each experience reshaped her sense of identity.

This photo essay follows Nene as she prepares for her second child. Surfing has become a space where she processes her past and makes room for her future. When she is in the water, she reflects. The rhythm of the waves mirrors the rhythm of her life. Loss. Acceptance. Return.

Through the ocean, Nene understands that motherhood is not a single transformation. It is ongoing. It is cyclical. There is grief. There is healing. There is rebirth. In documenting her journey, we explore resilience passed from mother to child and the quiet strength found in the water. For Nene, surfing is not escape. It is a way forward.

Woman holding a young girl at the beach, standing in shallow water with waves in the background, during sunset or sunrise.
A woman standing on the beach holding a surfboard with a decorative pattern, facing the ocean during sunset or sunrise.
A woman sitting on a wicker chair holding a young girl in her arms, smiling outdoors in a backyard or patio area with a wooden fence, plants, a hammock, and outdoor furniture.
A woman and a young girl standing in shallow ocean water, with the woman holding the girl's hand. In the background, a man is swimming in the ocean near the horizon.
Pregnant woman holding a surfboard on the beach.

“MOTHERHOOD IS REDEFINING YOURSELF AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN.”

A PART OF YOU DIES IN ORDER TO BRING NEW LIFE INTO THIS WORLD BUT THAT ISN’T NECESSARILY A BAD THING.

Pregnant woman with long dark hair wearing a black bikini top and beige shorts, sitting on wet sand at the beach, leaning back with her head tilted up and eyes closed, ocean waves in the background, and a man with light hair and shirtless in the water.
Sunlight reflecting on shallow water creates intricate, web-like patterns on the sandy bottom.

wOMAN iS THE SUN