Just weeks after Millie Smith and Lewis Cann discovered they were expecting identical twin girls, they were devastated to learn that one had a fatal condition and wouldn’t survive after birth.
On April 30, following a high-risk pregnancy, Millie delivered twins Callie and Skye. Skye lived only three hours, but during that time, both babies cried—something doctors didn’t expect from Skye. Their brief time together became a precious memory for the grieving parents.
While Callie remained in NICU, an innocent comment from another mom—who assumed Millie had just one baby—left her heartbroken. The pain of unspoken grief sparked an idea: a simple way to honor babies like Skye.
Millie created the purple butterfly symbol, placed on NICU incubators to quietly indicate the loss of a twin or multiple. “I chose butterflies to remember the babies that flew away, and purple because it suits both boys and girls,” she explained.
What began as a sticker grew into the Skye High Foundation, now spreading awareness and offering comfort to grieving families across the world through purple butterfly cards, ornaments, and more.
Callie is now seven, and her sister Skye’s legacy lives on—helping others navigate the heartbreak of baby loss with compassion and understanding.