To support bereaved families, a couple from England, who experienced the loss of one of their babies, had the idea of creating and distributing purple butterfly-shaped stickers. We tell you the story behind this symbol.
It all started with a terrible ordeal. In 2016, Millie Smith and her husband Lewis Cann are about to become parents of a little Callie and a small Skye, from binoculars. But nothing will go as planned. At 12 weeks pregnant, a medical examination tells them that Skye suffers from anencephaly, an incurable birth defect that affects the development of the nervous system. Despite this painful announcement, the couple decides to go through with the pregnancy and give birth to the two children. “We were both devastated. I knew I had to carry these two babies to term and say goodbye to one of the two within hours of birth. The more we talked about it, the more ready we were. I succeeded despite everything to enjoy my pregnancy and I was finally looking forward to meeting them”, said the mother to the English site, specialized in parenting, Babble Editors.
On the day of delivery, at Kingston General Hospital in England, the young parents welcome their two babies with emotion. But three hours later, what he dreaded happened, they had to say goodbye to their little girl Skye. After this painful moment, the young mother goes to the neonatal unit to observe her other child Callie, installed in her crib. The one next door is now empty. And without knowing it, another mother passing by throws her in a humorous tone: “you’re lucky you only have one!”. A crushing blow, but it was from that moment that Millie d‘invent “like a small symbol to let people know that my baby is dead”.
The purple butterfly to pay homage
The young mother then created the “Purple Butterfly”, a butterfly shaped purple sticker to be placed on cradles, to alert relatives and other visitors of the loss of a child after a multiple birth. A good way to distinguish bereaved families and prevent people from making mistakes, but also a attractive symbol to pay homage to the little angels who did not survive.
To develop this project, Millie and her companion launched a crowdfunding campaign and, in parallel, created The Skye High Foundation to help families who have gone through the same tragic experience. In France, for the moment, the purple butterfly has not yet taken off yet the initiative is beautiful!