Millie Smith and Lewis Cann were overjoyed when they discovered they were expecting twins. However, their happiness quickly turned into heartbreak when doctors revealed that one of their babies, Skye, had anencephaly, a condition that meant she would not survive for long after birth. Although they knew their time together would be short, they chose to cherish every moment with her. Skye lived for only three hours, but those moments became a precious part of their lives.

After Skye’s passing, Millie found that many people stopped recognizing that she had existed, leaving her feeling alone in her grief. A particularly painful moment came when someone joked that she was “lucky not to have twins,” not knowing she had lost one of her babies. That experience inspired Millie to create a symbol that could help other parents facing the same pain.

She introduced the purple butterfly sticker, a small but meaningful sign placed on hospital incubators to show that one baby from a set of multiples had passed away. The butterfly was chosen in purple because it is gender-neutral and could represent families grieving any loss.

The simple symbol quickly became a source of comfort for parents who felt unseen. Millie’s idea later developed into the Skye High Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and supporting families around the world who experience the loss of a baby. The purple butterfly now serves as a reminder that every baby’s life matters and every grieving parent deserves recognition and compassion.