The Purple Butterfly: A Twin’s Legacy of Love and Loss
Only weeks after Millie Smith and Lewis Cann received the joyous news that they were expecting identical twin girls, their world turned upside down — they learned that only one of their daughters would survive.
On April 30, after navigating 30 weeks of a high-risk pregnancy, Millie gave birth to their precious twins, Callie and Skye. But while Callie would go on to grow and thrive, baby Skye lived just three brief, beautiful hours.
In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), tiny Callie lay alone in her incubator — her sister’s absence deeply felt by her grieving parents. Amidst the beeping machines and hushed voices, another mother of healthy twins approached Millie and innocently said, “You’re so lucky you don’t have two.” The words hit like a wave. Millie was left speechless, her grief invisible to those around her.
It was in that moment Millie realized that Skye’s story needed to be seen — her life, however short, needed to be acknowledged. And so, the purple butterfly was born: a small, gentle symbol to quietly tell others that a twin has passed.
Rewind to November 2015 — the beginning of their journey. Millie, already suspecting she was carrying twins due to a family history, was thrilled when doctors confirmed it at her 10-week scan. But less than two weeks after celebrating, the couple was devastated by heartbreaking news: one of their babies had anencephaly, a rare and fatal condition where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull.
“There was silence during the scan,” Millie recalls. “I was excited, watching our babies on the screen, but the doctor said nothing. Lewis and I just knew something was wrong.”
Despite the diagnosis, the couple chose to continue the pregnancy, giving both their daughters every possible moment of life.
They named their girls Skye and Callie. “We knew Skye needed a name before she was born,” Millie said. “Even if we only had seconds with her, she deserved to be known.”
The name Skye was chosen to reflect the place they’d always find her — up above, a reminder that their daughter would forever be watching over them.
When Millie went into early labor at just 30 weeks, she delivered the girls via emergency C-section. They were placed in a special bereavement suite called the Daisy Room, where families can hold and say goodbye to babies who pass away too soon.
Both girls cried at birth — a sound Millie never expected to hear from Skye. For three precious hours, the family held her, loved her, and said goodbye.
“It was the worst moment of our lives,” Millie said. “But I’m so proud she fought to be with us. I’ve never felt heartbreak like that — but I’ve also never felt love like that either.”
From that love, a symbol was born. The purple butterfly now quietly signals to others that a grieving twin family is nearby — a gentle reminder that some stories include both joy and unimaginable sorrow.
And Skye’s story? It’s still being told — one butterfly at a time.
What a Purple Butterfly Near a Newborn Really Means: One Mother’s Mission of Love and Remembrance
When Millie Smith’s surviving twin, Callie, was born prematurely, she had to stay in the NICU to grow stronger. Alongside her were three other sets of twins — but Callie’s story was different, marked by both life and loss.
While most of the nurses knew about Skye, the twin who had passed just hours after birth, time began to dull the memory in the busy hospital unit. “After about four weeks, it was like Skye had never existed,” Millie said. “The families around us had no idea what we had gone through.”
One morning, a fellow NICU mother — overwhelmed, tired, and likely just making conversation — said something Millie would never forget: “You’re so lucky you don’t have twins.”
The words were meant harmlessly. But for Millie, they pierced through layers of silent grief. “The comment nearly broke me,” she said. “I ran out of the room in tears. They didn’t know. I couldn’t even tell them why. But I knew in that moment — a simple sticker could have spared us both the pain.”
That was the moment the idea for the purple butterfly was born.
Millie designed a small, powerful symbol to quietly communicate a big message: that a baby in the NICU was once part of a set — and one or more of those babies didn’t survive. She created posters to educate staff and families, explaining that a purple butterfly on an incubator means a life was lost, and a family is grieving — even in the midst of new life.
“I chose butterflies to honor the babies who flew away,” Millie said. “And purple because it’s gentle, and fitting for both boys and girls.”
That small symbol soon became a global movement.
Today, through the Skye High Foundation, Millie’s purple butterflies have spread to hospitals around the world. They appear as stickers, cards, ornaments, blankets, stuffed animals, and more — each one a tender reminder that a precious life was here, if only for a moment.
Now seven years old, Callie is full of life, laughter, and curiosity — a living tribute to her sister. And Skye’s memory lives on in every purple butterfly placed beside a newborn.
“Nothing can take the pain away,” Millie said. “But if we can support grieving parents, and help avoid moments like the one I had, it means everything. It’s the hardest thing anyone has to deal with — and no one should have to do it alone.”
Millie Smith turned unimaginable loss into a legacy of love. And now, every time someone sees a tiny purple butterfly near a baby, they’ll know the deep, beautiful meaning behind it.
Please share this story — so others, too, will understand what a purple butterfly truly means.