Millie Smith and Lewis Cann were filled with joy when they learned they were going to be parents. Millie, having twins in her family, had a feeling that she was carrying two babies herself. And her mother’s intuition proved to be right.
During the ultrasound, it was confirmed that Millie was indeed expecting twins. However, the doctors also discovered that one of the babies had a life-limiting condition called anencephaly, where the brain and spinal cord do not develop properly.
The heartbreaking news continued when Millie and Lewis were told that their daughter with anencephaly only had minutes to hours to live. In the face of this devastating reality, Millie and Lewis made the decision to name their baby before they had to say goodbye forever. They chose the name Skye, symbolizing a place where they could always look up at the sky and remember their baby.
“We were cuddling Skye when she passed away. It was the most heartbreaking moment of our lives,” Millie shared. “But I am proud that she fought for so long to spend time with us.” Skye lived for three precious hours, and during that time, her parents cherished her beauty and the joy she brought into their lives.
After Skye’s passing, Millie and Lewis were provided with a support system to help them cope with their loss. They had a “bereavement midwife” and access to a dedicated space called the “Daisy Room,” where they could spend time with their baby before and after her death.
However, as time went on, Millie felt that people around her stopped acknowledging Skye’s existence. It was as if everyone had forgotten about her. This made her realize that there was a need to raise awareness about the loss of babies in a set of multiples.
During her time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), another mother, unaware of Millie’s loss, made an innocent comment about being lucky not to have twins. This comment deeply affected Millie, and she realized that a simple sticker on the incubator could have prevented the misunderstanding.
With this insight, Millie came up with the idea of using a sticker to indicate the loss of one or more babies in a set of multiples. She chose the image of a purple butterfly, symbolizing the babies that flew away. The color purple was chosen because it is suitable for both boys and girls.
Today, Millie’s initiative, known as The Skye High Foundation, supports the purple butterfly initiative. Its mission is to spread awareness and support to hospitals in many different nations. The foundation offers a range of purple butterfly merchandise, including gifts and accessories.
“While I can’t change the fact that this happens, I want to create more support groups and implement measures like the stickers. It’s the hardest thing anyone has to deal with,” Millie expressed.
Through her foundation, Millie strives to ensure that the loss of babies in a set of multiples is remembered and acknowledged. The Skye High Foundation serves as a beacon of support and understanding for families going through this unimaginable grief.
Today, Millie’s other daughter, Callie, is seven years old, a testament to love, resilience, and the power of honoring the memory of those we have lost.
