Only weeks after Millie Smith and Lewis Cann learned they were having twin baby girls, they learned that only one would survive.
On April 30, after 30 weeks of a high-risk pregnancy, Smith delivered identical twins, Callie and Skye, the latter who lived only three hours.
Later in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Callie slept without her sister in the incubator, with her loving and grieving parents watching over her. In the unit with other babies, an overwhelmed mom of healthy newborn twins innocently told Smith that she was “so lucky” to not have two babies.
Crushed by the words, the new mom couldn’t find the words to explain her loss. Then, she realized that Skye’s legacy was to help other families who lose a child, and it came in the form of a purple butterfly.
In November 2015 Millie Smith and partner Lewis Cann found out they were having their first Child. Smith, who has twins in the family, said she had a “gut feeling” about having a duo and 10 weeks later, doctors confirmed she was expecting identical twin girls.
Less than two weeks after the excitement of knowing they would double the children in their home, the British couple were devastated to learn that one of their babies had a fatal condition and wouldn’t survive after birth.
“During the scan, the doctor didn’t say anything. I was very excited and loved seeing the little babies, but she was silent. Both Lewis and I immediately knew there must be a problem,” Smith said.
Doctors shared the news that one of the babies had anencephaly, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affects about one in 4,600 babies across the U.S. It’s a serious birth defect where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull, and “almost all babies born with anencephaly will die shortly after birth.”
Knowing that one baby would die soon after birth, and that there were risks involved for their other baby, the couple decided to move forward with the extremely high-risk pregnancy.
Over the next several months, Smith and Cann named their twins Skye and Callie. “We knew that Skye needed to have a name before she was born,” Smith said. “Knowing she would only survive for seconds or minutes, I wanted her to be named during that time.”
The meaning behind “Skye,” she explained “was somewhere we knew she would always be, that we could look up at the sky and remember our baby.”
When Smith went into labor after only 30 weeks on April 30, she needed an emergency C-section. To help navigate the loss, the couple had a “bereavement midwife” during the birth, and they were put I a special room the called the “Daisy Room,” where families can spend time with a baby before and after she/he passes.
“When the girls were born, they both cried. This was a huge moment, as we were told that Skye would not make a noise or move,” said Smith, who was thankful to have three hours with Skye before she died. “We were cuddling Skye when she passed away. This was the worst moment in our lives. I have never ever felt heartbreak like that before. But I am proud that she fought for so long to spend time with us.”
Born premature, Callie had to stay in NICU while she gained some strength and also in the unit were three other sets of twin.
“Most of the nurses were aware of what had happened, but as time passed, people stopped talking about Skye. After about four weeks, everyone acted as though nothing had happened, meaning the families around me had no idea about our situation,” Smith recalled.
One morning, a stressed mother whose twins were also in NICU, harmlessly said to Smith that she was “so lucky” to not have twins.
“None of the other parents knew what had happened or anything about Skye. The comment was completely innocent and more out of humor…They weren’t to know that I did at one point have two.” Smith continued, “But the comment nearly broke me. I ran out [of] the room in tears and they had no idea why. I didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened. A simple sticker would have avoided that entire situation.”
It was in that moment Smith realized she had to create something that would speak for parents who had just lost a baby, ensuring the misunderstanding never happens again.
She designed a poster for the NICU explaining both hospital personnel and visitors that any incubator with a purple butterfly on it means that one or more babies, in a set of multiples were lost.
“I chose butterflies, as I felt it was fitting to remember the babies that flew away, the color purple because it is suitable for both boys or girls,” said Smith.
The purple butterfly concept–now under the Skye High Foundation–has spread to hospitals in several countries around the world.
Callie is now a lively, happy seven-year-old, and twin’s memory lives in purple butterfly cards along with other initiatives to help families with babies like Skye all over the world. The purple butterflies now come in numerous forms, like ornaments, cards, blankets, stuffed animals and more.
“Ultimately I will never be able to stop this from happening but the more support groups we can set up and put things in place like the stickers the better it will be. It’s the hardest thing anyone has to deal with,” Smith said.
Man Who Is Certain Late Ex-wife Gave Birth to Only One Kid Meets Their Daughter’s Carbon Copy – Story of the Day
Henry’s daughter, Sophie, met Sandra, who looked exactly like her, at school and spent time with her. They were convinced they were twin sisters. Henry was shocked when he met Sandra and her mother and decided to find out what had happened.
Henry moved from Texas to Los Angeles when his daughter, Sophie, turned seven years old, and she was about to start second grade. “Ok, here we are. Your new school, Sophie. Are you excited?” he asked his daughter at the drop-off.
“I think so…,” Sophie responded, twirling her fingers around her skirt in nervousness. “What if no one likes me?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“They will. You just have to be nice to everyone, and if someone is mean to you, you go the other way. No starting fights, ok?” Henry added and kissed her forehead.
Sophie waved goodbye and entered school. She located her classroom immediately, and everyone else was already inside. But all the kids’ eyes widened, and a few even gasped when they saw her. She stopped right at the door and looked around in confusion.
Her new classmates started turning their heads back and forth between her and another girl sitting at the back. She tried to get a peak and spotted a blonde head. Suddenly, one boy yelled, “It’s Sandra’s clone!”
That’s when Sophie saw the girl at the back of the classroom, and she gasped at the sight. The girl looked just like her! Sandra stood up and stared at the new girl with her mouth gaping open. “Wow! We look like twins!” she exclaimed and smiled widely.
Sophie immediately felt at ease and grinned at the girl too. “Yeah. But why? I don’t have any sisters,” she responded.
“Me neither! It’s only my mom and me,” Sandra said and jumped towards Sophie, holding her hand. “Come sit with me.”
They spent a few minutes talking, and other kids approached them too. Then the teacher, Miss Carr, came in. “I believe we have a new student today, Sophie Douglas. Come say hello,” their teacher said and suddenly gasped a small, “Oh.”
“Miss Carr, she’s just like Sandra!” one kid said as Sophie made her way to the front of the classroom.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Hello, my name is Sophie. I love books and going to the beach with my dad. We moved here from Texas, and I’m so excited to make new friends,” the girl said and smiled at everyone. Miss Carr clapped as the rest of the class followed.
“That’s great, Sophie. And it looks like you have a twin in our class. That’s so cool! You can go sit down now. Ok, today we’re going to learn about frogs…” Miss Carr started her lesson immediately.
Sophie and Sandra played throughout the day with all of Sandra’s friends. They bonded faster than anyone could’ve imagined. When school ended, Sophie told her dad everything about Sandra and how they looked the same.
After hearing all about her new friend all week, Henry was curious to see her and decided to call Sandra’s mom to talk about things. They arranged a playdate and decided to meet up at McDonald’s a few days after Sophie’s first day at her new school. When Sandra and her mother, Wendy, walked in, Henry’s jaw went slack. He couldn’t believe her daughter had not been exaggerating.
The woman also gasped after seeing Sophie. “Oh my God. Hi! You must be Sophie. Sandra has been talking to me about you all this week. You really do look like twins!” Wendy exclaimed with a big smile. The girls went to the playground, and the adults could finally speak.
“Hello, I’m Henry. It’s nice to meet you,” Henry said, shaking Wendy’s hand. They sat down at one of the booths and talked some more.
She repeated the sentiment. “Wow, I just can’t believe it. I’ve read of counterparts, but this has to be something else,” Wendy commented as they watched the girls playing.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Sandra doesn’t know this yet, but I adopted her. Is Sophie yours biologically?”
“Yes. I mean, my ex-wife, Irene, discovered she was pregnant after we separated and had her. We co-parented, but she died a year ago, and so now, I have full custody. I was worried for Sophie, you know,” Henry blabbered. “She just lost her mother, and I had to move here for work. It’s too much change. But Sandra has been a godsend. Sophie has been smiling all week and talking about everything they have in common. I can’t thank your daughter enough.”
“Where did you move from?”
“Texas. We lived in Dallas,” Henry replied.
“Hmmm…,” Wendy hummed and placed her chin on her hand.
“What?” Henry wondered, frowning at the woman.
“I’m reluctant to say this. But I believe Sandra was born in Texas too,” Wendy revealed, wetting her lips with her tongue in hesitancy. “I’ll have to recheck her birth certificate. But is there any chance your late ex-wife had twins?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“I don’t… I wasn’t there with her because of business. But no. It can’t be. I returned a week after she gave birth. She had already left the hospital, and I met Sophie in her home. So, there’s no way this could happen,” Henry replied, his eyes blinking fast, trying to think.
“Were you and her in a good place at the time?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if she felt like you wouldn’t be around, maybe she thought having two kids was too much,” Wendy suggested as carefully as she could.
“So, you’re saying she might have given one kid up and kept the other?” Henry asked, still not believing that Irene would’ve given one of their children up for adoption. “We were not good together, and that’s why we broke up. But this is just… ugh… I don’t know what else to say.”
“Is there any way we could find out?” Wendy wondered once again.
“I guess I could call the hospital, and we could check things…,” Henry mumbled, still in shock and running his fingers through his hair. Just then, the girls came back and said they were hungry, so this conversation would have to continue another day.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
A few days later, he took Sophie to stay at Wendy’s house and traveled back to Texas. He talked to hospital staff and asked around as much as possible. Finally, one kind nurse took pity on him and discovered Irene had given birth to two babies.
Unfortunately, Henry would never know why she made the tough decision to give one baby up, but he suspected it was his fault.
I left her alone to give birth, and I wasn’t there for most of her pregnancy. This is my doing. She probably knew she was having twins and didn’t tell me.
But there was nothing he could do about the past now. He could only go forward and try to make amends. When he returned, he and Wendy got a DNA test for Sandra, confirming their suspicions. But Henry made it clear that Wendy was the girl’s mother. He would never try to separate them.
The adults sat down with the girls and told them everything as best they could, which meant explaining to Sandra that she was adopted. But the twins cheered in delight and hugged each other, chanting, “We’re sisters! We’re sisters!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Henry and Wendy could only laugh at them, glad that they were so happy. They had to navigate this tricky situation because Henry wanted to be a father to Sandra, but Wendy didn’t know how she would fit into Sophie’s life.
In the end, they decided to co-parent as if they both were their legal parents, and it turned out amazingly. The girls transitioned into this new normal better than they did, and it was perfect.
One night, Sophie said something that shocked Henry. “Dad, why don’t you marry Wendy? Then she could be my mom too.”
“Oh honey, that’s complicated. Wendy and I are just good friends,” he responded.
“I’ll never forget my mom. But I like her. I think she could be good for you too,” Sophie insisted.
Henry smiled. “We’ll see.”
But it was like his daughter predicted the future. Eventually, he and Wendy started dating. They got married when the girls turned 12, and they were both bridesmaids.
What can we learn from this story?
- You can’t change the past. Henry learned the hard way that you can’t change the past; only make up for your mistakes and look forward to the future.
- Some things happen for a reason. Henry and Sophie moved to Los Angeles, only to find Sandra and Wendy. It seems like more than just a coincidence.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a bus driver who found a little girl on the side of the road.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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