For mom of three, nurse, and cancer survivor, Alex Prabhu, her participation in We Are Ocean has become a full circle.
Alex was in the middle of treatments for breast cancer when she was introduced to We Are Ocean (WAO) in 2022 via an Instagram ad. It was a WAO Surf Day where cancer survivors and fighters got together and learned to surf. That day she met Jack Marshall Shimko – founder of WAO and Billy at NAC before they all went over to the beach.
Alex at WAO Surf Day
She remembers that day clearly, feeling grateful to be around people who knew – where friends or acquaintances would say awkward things because they didn’t know what to say to someone battling cancer- these people at the WAO Surf Day were of similar ages and going through the same thing as her. Alex said at that time, she had been feeling kind of lost and that her life would never be the same because of cancer, but being around people who continued to be outdoors and live life despite it all, it reminded her there are people out there going through the same thing and that life truly is not over.
She met life-long friends that day and that solidarity and comradery meant everything because she could see herself in this oceanmined community.
Fast forward a couple months, after recovering from surgery and rounds of chemo, Alex got a call from Jack Shimko. “Want to paddle a race with us?” He was talking about the Wild Buffalo Relay – a 32 mile race from Catalina Island to NAC. She agreed before even having all the details…and then began to feel a little skeptical of the ordeal. After talking with Kelly Schwartz and meeting the team of amazing paddlers she felt a little more reassured and then double-downed that she was going to race even against her doctor’s advice and even though she was three weeks into radiation treatments.
Alex and Jenelle before Wild Buffalo
The race serendipitously coincided with the end of Alex’s treatment and to say that it was an emotional and physically difficult experience would be an understatement. Competing and paddling across this channel is a feat for all paddlers, let alone someone who had just finished treatments! She recalled how amazing and supportive the whole crew was throughout the race and shouted out Sheila, Jojo and others for being the paddling pros. But it was crossing the finish line that really stood out to her – yes, meeting family and friends, and being greeted with lei on the beach was amazing – but it was the accomplishment of it all. She did it.
She finished treatments and that summer, Alex joined Camp We Are Ocean (WAO) on Catalina Island as a camper. The campers that summer were on the younger side and she joked that she felt like the Mom of the group. That camp solidified the fact that she wanted to be a part of We Are Ocean in a more official capacity. She wanted to be there to support this group, no matter the age or cancer type. Alex was able to do that when she joined another Camp WAO on the Central Coast as the official nurse. And then again, when she attended Camp WAO on Catalina Island the following summer as official nurse and yoga instructor!
Alex had been practicing yoga even before her cancer diagnosis, but prior to the Camp WAO on Catalina Island, she completed a teacher training course and became a fully registered yoga instructor. She was excited to bring her training to the camp and build thoughtful classes for the sunrise sessions.
That summer’s camp was the full circle moment for Alex. To be there a few years after her treatment was so special, and she said it felt so wonderful to be able to give back and support the cause and the campers just as previous WAO staff had done for the camp she had attended. “I felt so lucky and super blessed to be a part of it,” Alex said.
But really, Alex has been “a part” of We Are Ocean from the beginning – ever since that first Surf Day where Jack told her that she was, “Now a part of the NAC family.”
Come down to NAC this Saturday for our first Local Day where Alex will be leading a yoga session down on the beach before we get on the water for a paddle in the outrigger canoes. She promises a welcoming and inclusive space, and to meet you where you’re at. “Showing up on the mat gives you time to be present and be in tune. If you’re doing that, then you are doing it right.”