Millie Smith had a feeling her pregnancy would be different. When a scan confirmed that she and her partner, Lewis Cann, were expecting twins, their happiness felt complete. Like many parents, they began dreaming about the future—two babies, two lives, and double the love.
But that joy soon turned into heartbreak.
Doctors discovered that one of their babies had anencephaly, a rare and serious condition that meant she would not survive long after birth. It was devastating news—something no parent is ever prepared to hear. Despite the pain, Millie and Lewis made a brave and loving decision: they would continue the pregnancy and cherish every moment with both of their daughters.
They named their babies Callie and Skye, giving each child a name, an identity, and a place in their hearts even before they were born.
At 30 weeks, Millie went into early labor. It was a frightening and emotional time, filled with uncertainty. But when the babies were born, something unexpected happened—both girls cried.
For a brief, beautiful moment, everything felt whole.
Skye lived for three precious hours. During that short time, she was held, loved, and surrounded by warmth. She passed away peacefully in her mother’s arms, leaving behind a deep and lasting sense of loss that words could never fully describe.
Even while grieving, Millie had to stay strong for Callie, who was receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit. Life became a mix of love, hope, and quiet sorrow.
As days passed, Millie began to notice something painful—people often didn’t realize she had lost one of her twins. To others, it seemed like she had just one baby in the NICU. The loss of Skye was invisible to them.
One day, a simple comment from another parent—who didn’t know her story—made that reality hit even harder. It wasn’t meant to hurt, but it did. In that moment, Millie realized how difficult it was for families like hers to carry such a loss silently, without others understanding.
She knew something needed to change.
From that realization came a simple yet powerful idea—the purple butterfly sticker.
This small symbol is placed on a baby’s incubator to quietly show that the child is part of a multiple birth where one sibling has passed away. It allows parents to be understood without having to explain their loss over and over again. It creates space for compassion, awareness, and gentle respect.
Through the Skye High Foundation, Millie helped share this idea with hospitals around the world. What started as a personal response to grief has now become a meaningful symbol recognized globally.
Today, the purple butterfly stands for more than loss. It represents love, remembrance, and the quiet strength of families who carry both joy and heartbreak at the same time.
Sometimes, the smallest symbols can carry the deepest meaning—and remind us to approach others with kindness, even when we don’t know their full story.
Note: All images used in this article are AI-generated and intended for illustrative purposes only.
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