Millie Smith and Lewis Cann were overjoyed when they found out they were expecting a baby. Millie had a strong feeling she might be carrying twins—after all, her family had many sets of twins. Her intuition turned out to be right.
The ultrasound confirmed the twin pregnancy, but doctors quickly discovered that one of the babies had little chance of survival.
Their daughter, born prematurely at thirty weeks, was diagnosed with anencephaly—a severe condition in which the brain and spinal cord do not develop properly, making survival impossible.
The devastated parents were told their baby girl might only live a few minutes or hours.
Before saying goodbye, they gave her a name: Skye.
Millie shared how deeply important it was to name her before birth. She knew Skye’s life would be heartbreakingly short—perhaps only seconds or minutes—yet she wanted to make sure her daughter was given an identity in that brief time.
She explained that the name “Skye” symbolized a place where they imagined their baby would always remain—a reminder that whenever they looked up at the sky, they could think of her.
“Skye left us while she was in our arms. It was the saddest moment we’d ever had. I’ve never experienced such profound sadness before. I am delighted she battled so hard to stay with us as long as she could.”
Skye lived only three hours, but to her parents, those hours were filled with beauty, love, and meaning.
After her passing, the couple received support from a special midwife and were given time in the “Daisy Room,” a private space for parents to spend precious moments with their baby before and after death.
But soon after, nobody spoke about Skye again. Millie felt devastated, as if her daughter had been forgotten.
She remembered how, at first, staff acknowledged Skye’s situation—but eventually, her existence seemed to disappear from conversation.
At the same time, Millie was caring for her surviving twin, Callie, who remained in the NICU. One day, while talking to another mother of twins, that mother casually remarked how “lucky” Millie was not to have twins—completely unaware of her loss.
“The other parents were not aware of Skye’s position. The innocent statement was made in jest. They were unaware that I had already had two children.”
The words cut deeply. Millie burst into tears and ran out of the room, leaving the other parents confused. She couldn’t bring herself to explain. Later, she realized that a simple sticker could have prevented such a painful misunderstanding.
That idea became her mission.
Millie created a way to show when one or more babies in a multiple birth had passed away: a purple butterfly sticker placed on the incubator.
She explained that butterflies symbolize the babies who are no longer with us, and purple is a color that works for both boys and girls.
From this, the Skye High Foundation was born. What started as one mother’s idea has grown into the Purple Butterfly Campaign, now adopted by hospitals in many countries.
The initiative has expanded into a collection of items and gifts, all carrying the same message of remembrance.
Millie emphasizes that while nothing can erase the pain, added support and simple measures like the butterfly stickers can make an enormous difference for grieving families.
Today, her surviving daughter Callie is seven years old.
