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.”
