Mika Silverman
Mika Silverman set off on her final voyage surrounded by loved ones on October 17, 2025, at the age of 49.
Born in New York on September 22, 1976 and raised in Southern California, Mika graduated from San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara. She went on to earn a degree in Physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine.
Mika was a world traveler in both life and work. As the founder of her own consulting business, she provided IT and business solutions to cruise ship companies—finding a way to make a living while exploring every major port city on the globe.
To those who knew her, Mika was so much more than her impressive résumé. She was a daughter, a proud older sister, a devoted aunt, a dear friend, a data scientist, a teacher, a hiker, a pioneer, a builder, and a dreamer. She had a rare gift for seeing potential in people and connecting them with purpose. Mika’s optimism, passion, intellect, and zest for adventure left a mark on everyone she met. She radiated kindness and wisdom, the kind that comes from truly living.
For nearly two decades, Mika lived with cancer—stage 4 since 2015—but she refused to let it define her. She didn’t like to say she was “fighting” cancer; instead, she said she was “living with it.” And live she did. There was an urgency to every moment of her life, a deep understanding that time was precious. While others hesitated, Mika acted—with intent, with joy, and with gratitude.
In the fall of 2024, newly cleared to travel internationally, she flew to Prague to see dear friends before heading to Seville for work. Just before boarding, she learned her latest scan brought bad news—but true to her spirit, she still got on the plane. She always got on the plane. Mika believed in making memories, in embracing beauty even amid hardship. Her life was a lesson in resilience and grace.
Mika’s family and friends hope her story inspires others to reframe life’s challenges—not to focus on not dying from them, but to truly live through them. That was Mika’s magic: she lived better than most ever will, and she was deeply, fiercely loved.
Mika is survived by her parents, Samantha Swartout and Joel Silverman; her sisters, Dr. Piper Hughes and Jackie Silverman; and her beloved niece and nephew, Asher and Riley Hughes.
In honor of Mika’s courageous and joy-filled life, donations may be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, where the majority of funds support new treatments and bring us closer to a cure: https://give.bcrf.org/
May we all learn from Mika’s example—to choose gratitude, to live with intent, and to always, always get on the plane.
