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.

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