Shana Pereira

Shana Pereira, a visionary entrepreneur, transplant survivor, and global advocate for faith and compassion, passed away peacefully on October 15, 2025, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She was 44 years old.

Born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, Shana was a citizen of the world whose journey bridged cultures, faiths, and disciplines. After moving to the United States at age 22, she made Southern California her home and proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2012. Her life reflected both fierce independence and profound connection, inspiring everyone who met her.

Shana was the Founder and CEO of Inked Crisis Support, Inc., a San Diego-based organization redefining patient advocacy to include everyone affected by medical crises. Through Halibur, an interfaith initiative she later founded, Shana extended her mission beyond medicine, fostering unity and hope among all religions and communities worldwide.

"I flatlined before my surgery and came back. That moment redefined everything. I wasn't just given a new heart - I was given a mission." - Shana Pereira

In 2015, Shana was diagnosed with kidney failure, and five years later she faced heart failure. On Christmas Day 2020, she received a lifesaving double transplant - both heart and kidney - from a 29-year-old donor whose gift she often described as "a miracle that created two lives from one." Her gratitude toward her donor family was limitless. She spoke often about living organ donation, not as a medical transaction but as a spiritual partnership: "This is one that requires profound partnership. Those who give are called forth - it's an innate desire, a calling."

Before devoting herself fully to advocacy, Shana spent over two decades in marketing and strategy, leading award-winning campaigns for Fortune 500 brands and startups. Her professional success was matched only by her generosity and empathy. She had a rare ability to blend strategy with soul, and to make every person she met feel seen.

Her faith deepened after her near-death experience. She often spoke of God, the Universe, and energy as one interconnected force - "that voice we all hear when we are quiet enough to listen." She believed her survival was not just a second chance but a sacred obligation to serve others.

Shana is survived by her loving mother Lurdes Pires, her father Ágio Pereira, and a wide circle of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends around the world who will forever carry her light forward.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 2, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Coastal Funeral Home, 25001 Narbonne Avenue, Lomita, CA 90717.

A livestream will be available for those unable to attend.

Those wishing to honor Shana's memory may donate to Donate Life California

Shana lived with radiant purpose, unyielding hope, and generous love. Her life reminds us all that healing begins with faith and that miracles often arrive in the quiet courage of ordinary people choosing to give.

Listen to her story in her own words on the Fit, Fierce & Fearless Podcast - Episode 28: A Conversation with Shana Pereira.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0c9MM0tXF46GzBAw8Rk9ct?si=KZfAaB2mQdSK8jmLynF5yw&nd=1&dlsi=01e01e27b3cb4d3a