If you take a peek at neonatal intensive care units, you should expect to find the most fragile human beings trying to survive and grow. However, something unexpected might catch your eye when you are in the room. What exactly is that purple sticker that looks just like a butterfly? You should know that the decal is not only for show. As a matter of fact, it has a meaningful and heartbreaking history to it. In the end, however, it is used to prevent certain people from reliving their traumas again and again! Keep reading to see what we mean…
Find Out The Heartbreaking Significance Of The Purple Butterfly Stickers That You See In Hospitals
A Subtle Symbol
The purple butterfly is a subtle symbol used in hospitals all over the globe. Even though they are placed on the beds of the newborns in certain institutions, others are left on the doors that lead to certain rooms. No matter where they are placed, the meaning behind these winged insects remains the same.
A Subtle Symbol
Meet Millie Smith
Millie Smith is the name of the brains behind this project. She went with this design for a reason. In nurseries and NICUs across the globe, blue is used for baby boys. On the other hand, pink is meant to represent baby girls. Purple is the combination of these colors, so it is used to represent both of them. Together, blue and pink make up an eggplant-like color.
Meet Millie Smith
A Personal Tragedy
Mind you, the purple butterflies in the NICU are not only used to signify the birth of a child. Millie Smith thought of the idea after a personal tragedy. She channeled her feelings into a project that would help parents in facilities and hospitals while they try to adjust to a new chapter of their lives.
A Personal Tragedy
Expecting Twins
The purple butterfly project started in November 2015. That was around the time that Mille Smith found out that there was a bun in the oven. She felt sure that she was carrying twins even though the doctor had not confirmed it. The family had a history of multiple births, which means that it was a possibility.
Expecting Twins
The Confirmation
When she was ten weeks pregnant, Millie Smith and Lewis Cann, her partner learned that they were right about their suspicion. This would mean that they would become parents to a pair of twins soon! They learned that they were getting identical girls. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when they visited the doctor for a checkup a few weeks later. The ultrasound results revealed bad news for the couple.
The Confirmation
Something Was Wrong
In 2016, she talked to Today and shared, “During the scan, the doctor didn’t say anything. I was very excited and loved seeing the little babies, but she was silent.” Based on that alone, the couple realized that there must be something wrong. Smith went on, “Both Lewis and I immediately knew there must be a problem.”
Something Was Wrong
A Dangerous Condition
The couple had been right again, but this was a piece of news that they did not want to hear. The doctor had to inform the parents that one of the girls would be born with a condition known as anencephaly. This would stop the neural tube from closing in the fetus, which would in turn result in a brain that would not develop properly.
A Dangerous Condition
It Was Devastating
It is not easy to hear something like that. Both Smith and Cann were devastated to hear the news. In 2016, this was what she told the BBC: “I was told one of my babies will have no chance of survival. My baby was only expected to live a few seconds.” The couple had to make a decision soon.
It Was Devastating
Tough Call
At the time, the two of them had to decide if they wanted to terminate the babies. There was a chance that the surviving twin was going to experience problems in the womb as well. In the end, they chose to keep the babies even though there was a chance that they might lose one or both of them.
Tough Call
Callie And Skye
The couple did not only move forward, but they immediately gave the girls names as well. The two of them went with Callie and Skye. The latter was for the girl with anencephaly. The ethereal name felt right to Smith. But why is that? Let us hear what Smith shared when she appeared in Today.
Callie And Skye
Naming The Baby
Before we talk about the name choice, Smith felt the need to give their kid with anencephaly a name even though they did not know if she would survive. “Knowing [that my daughter] would only survive for seconds or minutes, I wanted her to be named during that time. Skye was somewhere we knew she would always be. We could look up at the sky and remember our baby,” said the expectant mom.
Naming The Baby
Time To Deliver
Around 30 weeks into her pregnancy, the time came for the couple to meet the girls. Yes, this means that Smith went into labor earlier than usual. This was why she had an emergency C-section. On the 30th of April 2016, she gave birth to Skye and Callie at the Kingston Hospital in Surrey, the United Kingdom.
Time To Deliver
Saying Goodbye
By then, the doctors already knew the fate of Skye and the rest of the family. This was the reason they brought in a bereavement midwife to the delivery room. Smith and Cann were given access to the Daisy Room in Kingston Hospital as well. This is a space dedicated to parents with critically ill or deceased newborns. It is where the moms and dads could have some privacy and spend the final moments with their children.
Saying Goodbye
An Emotional Ordeal
It makes sense that the delivery and the following hours had been an emotional ordeal for Smith and Cann. When the new mom talked about it with Today, she said, “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.”
An Emotional Ordeal
A Bittersweet Moment
Inside the Daisy Room, Cann and Smith had the opportunity to bid farewell to Skye in a stretch of three hours. When Smith talked about the bittersweet moment, she said, “We were cuddling Skye when she passed away. This was the worst moment in our lives. I have never felt heartbreak like that before. But I am proud that she fought for so long to spend time with us.”
A Bittersweet Moment
Before Her Passing
The new parents got to talk to Skye before she passed away. In 2016, Smith got to speak to US Weekly about it as well. She shared, “We told [Skye] how much we loved her. And I told her I was sorry that I hadn’t created her properly. I felt like it was my fault. I knew it wasn’t, but I always felt guilty. We told her she would never be forgotten.”
Before Her Passing
A Bereavement Midwife
It was truly a good thing that Smith had Jo Bull as her bereavement midwife. When she talked about the midwife, the new mom said, “She was there during the birth [and] when Skye passed away, [and she’s here] when I’m having a bad day.” This was the precise thing that Jo Bull was trained for.
A Bereavement Midwife
Her Role
Jo Bull got to talk to the BBC and said, “My role involves helping women who have lost a baby before birth or [one] who subsequently dies. In Millie’s case, she knew what was going to happen, and I was involved quite early on.” Sadly, not all moms who go through this get the same support.
Her Role
Not Enough Support
Bull has talked about how there is insufficient assistance given to parents who experience such a bereavement even though the stillborn rates remain pretty steady in the United Kingdom. She dug into the matter deeper by saying, “Although all midwives can support parents with what they are going through, the specific specialist role is not widely available.”
Not Enough Support
A Hard Time
The presence of a bereavement midwife helped, but Smith still had a hard time after the delivery. She did not only have to go through grief at the death of Skye, but things were also uncertain for Callie. The young girl was still in the NICU. With new parents going in and out of the facility, the ward regulars started to become less familiar with the story of the twins.
A Hard Time
They Soon Forgot
When Smith talked to Today, she shared, “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.” It must have been difficult to feel like your pain was going unnoticed.
They Soon Forgot
A Careless Comment
As a matter of fact, a clueless parent eventually said something to Smith that hurt her a lot. Back then, she was staying with Callie in the NICU before the little girl could go home. There were three pairs of twins in the facility. What triggered the careless comment was one of the newborns bursting into tears.
A Careless Comment
It Still Hurt
One of the moms saw that Smith only had one child in the NICU. While she did not mean any malice, her words ended up being very painful. Smith shared the experience with the BBC: “A parent who didn’t know what I’d been through turned to me and said, ‘You are so lucky you don’t have twins.’”
It Still Hurt
It Broke Her
After this moment, she could no longer keep her emotions in check. She told US Weekly, “Up until this point, I hadn’t cried in front of any of these parents. But that was it. I ran out of the room in tears. The comment absolutely broke me. I didn’t have the guts to go back in and tell her our story.”
It Broke Her
No Harm Meant
Smith also informed the BBC that she knew that the lady did not mean any harm. She said, “I know the mother would have felt bad if she knew how her words affected me.” But the experience paved the way for a new idea of hers. She wanted to prevent other parents from going through this.
No Harm Meant
A Small Symbol
In particular, she remembered thinking, “I felt there should be something like a small symbol to let people know that my baby had died.” This was how she came up with a plan that would allow deceased newborns to be represented. Smith came up with the idea of displaying a purple butterfly sticker! She chose the color so that it would be able to represent baby boys and girls alike.
A Small Symbol
A Preventive Measure
If this system had been in place, she would likely not have heard the hurtful comment at all. “None of the other parents knew what had happened or anything about Skye. I didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened. A simple sticker would have avoided that entire situation,” she informed Babble.
A Preventive Measure
Letting Others Know
For her, it was a good way to let others know about something that was difficult to talk about. It would have been traumatizing for a grieving parent to recount their loss. In 2016, she told the Sutton & Croydon Guardian, “Some days I didn’t want to talk about it, and some days I did. I thought there was something we could put to make people know it happened but that I didn’t want to talk about it.”
Letting Others Know
Others Liked It
It was a good thing that there were others who liked the sound of a purple butterfly sticker for “the babies that flew away.” Soon enough, the hospital decided to use this brilliant idea of hers. She also had an idea in mind should other hospitals and medical facilities follow suit and employ the same program.
Others Liked It
Making A Template
When Smith talked to the BBC, she explained what she had in mind, “Instead of stickers, the butterflies will be printed on card and laminated. Each hospital would have a template to make these themselves.” With the aforementioned signs, the parents would understand what the symbols meant and let them use the cards if they needed them.
Making A Template
The Skye High Foundation
To make her vision a reality, Smith and Cann launched the Skye High Foundation. Their plan involved more than simply sharing the sticker template with everyone else. On top of this, they also wanted to raise money so that they can help other parents who have to go through the loss of a newborn child.
The Skye High Foundation
Raising Funds
In particular, the couple set their eyes on £10,000, which is around $12,500. This would let them pay for a counselor at Kingston Hospital. The foundation started off on the right foot with Smith taking to Facebook to reveal her plan for the project. Thousands of netizens shared the post, which meant that there was a lot of support for the idea!
Raising Funds
Finding Purpose
Smith found a new purpose by working on the Skye High Foundation after losing one of her daughters. She said, “Charity work was something very new to me as I was very career-focused, but I am learning every step of the way. It was my way of dealing with what had happened; it was a turning point for me.”
Finding Purpose
Not The Only One
She later found out that she was not the only one that was using a butterfly to symbolize loss. The post got more and more attention, which made a different organization reach out to her. She said, “I was also contacted by the Neonatal Research [group, which] has a Butterfly Project doing similar work to me.”
Not The Only One
Gaining Traction
We are glad that the idea gained traction. Smith told US Weekly that more than a hundred hospitals got in touch with her to discuss the butterfly idea. Folks from different parts of the globe have donated to show support for the project. Donations also poured in for their aim to help other families.
Gaining Traction
Offering Support
Smith and Bull have talked about how important it is to offer support to moms and dads that lost their kids. “I think we should talk about [baby death] more, as the more we talk to friends, family and others, the more likely you might hear from someone who has gone through the same thing,” Bull told the BBC.
Offering Support
Raising Awareness
The butterfly stickers would also help solve one more issue that grieving families go through as well. Bull said, “[Losing a newborn is] only beginning to be talked about, but it’s still classed as taboo. The last thing people want who are going through this is for people to be ignoring it. It is terribly upsetting.”
Raising Awareness
Helping Other People
This is something that Smith knows on a personal level. She hopes that the project and the foundation can help people dealing with grief in the face of bereavement. The mother went on to explain, “People don’t talk about a loss of a baby – they feel awkward. Even some nurses don’t know what to say.”
Helping Other People
Spreading Abroad Too
The butterflies continued to appear in hospitals all over the globe. Smith took pride that her work has raised awareness about this issue. “The thing I am most proud of is that it has got people talking about it. I want to support families, the butterfly idea and anything else that can make a difference,” she said.
Spreading Abroad Too
Another Important Symbol
In reality, the purple butterfly is most certainly not the only symbol that people have been putting to good use. If you ever see someone wearing a very eye-catching adornment in public, you should know that it is not only for show. Do you know what the flower on the accessory really means? Let us find out!
Another Important Symbol
The Sunflower Lanyard
Imagine that you are waiting on the train platform, queuing up at the grocery, or going through airport security. All of a sudden, you spot a person wearing a sunflower lanyard around their neck. It turns out that anyone who does this has an important reason for sporting this piece of garment. What could it be?
The Sunflower Lanyard
Its Origins
The story began at Gatwick Airport in London in 2016. Passengers showed up with a lanyard around their necks. It was a unique design that was bright enough to catch the attention of other people. It was hard to ignore the yellow flowers against the green backdrop. But what message did it have to say?
Its Origins
A Silent Message
Its designers decided to make the lanyard as a way to send a certain message about the wearer or their companion. The plan ended up becoming very effective and started to spread even further. It started in the UK but later made it across the pond. In the US, you will now find folks wearing the same thing.
A Silent Message
A Good Idea
What could these lanyards mean? They are supposed to send a signal to airport personnel, but it is a good idea for passengers to be familiar with the message as well. Read on so that you will know what the wearer is trying to say! Keep your eyes peeled for these things when you are out and about.
A Good Idea
Millions Of People
Did you know that 46.6 million people went through Gatwick Airport in 2019 alone? As you might have guessed, it has flights from London to other destinations. In fact, a data flight information company called OAG has said that it is the British airport that offers the highest number of routes. We bet that the airport staff wanted to improve its services thanks to the sheer amount of people going in and out.
Millions Of People
The Airport Staff
In 2016, the airport staff came up with a great idea! They chose to use sunflower lanyards in order to identify certain people at the airport. It goes without saying that the staff at the airport were taught what the garments mean. This way, they could serve the people wearing them in a very subtle manner.
The Airport Staff
Following Its Lead
This plan turned out to be such a good idea that other airports started to use the same system that Gatwick had in place. Every major airport in the country relied on these flowery accessories! As a matter of fact, leisure centers, rail stations, businesses, grocery stores, and police stations started to follow suit. Aside from that, it began to spread outside the country as well.
Following Its Lead
The First American Airport
About 5,000 miles away from London, the garments were first used at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2019. It had been the first US airport to use the items, but it was certainly not the last. Data showed that Americans would benefit from using the sunflower garment! But what on earth was it for?
The First American Airport
Benefiting American Adults
Sea-Tac rolled out this system in October 2019. They did this because it could help a lot of people who use the airport. In 2018, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that one in four adults in the United States would qualify to put on the lanyard. As you can see, a big chunk of the population would benefit from such a system. On top of that, the figure did not even factor kids in yet!
Benefiting American Adults
JFK Airport
In early 2020, terminal four of JFK Airport in New York City was the first northeastern airport to use the sunflower lanyards. Travelers that went through the airport could ask for one to wear before they hopped on the planes. Roel Huinink, the CEO of the airport, was pleased by this piece of news as well.
JFK Airport
Helping Passengers
In February 2020, he got to talk to the International Airport Review. “At T4, we are always looking for ways to better serve our passengers, and we are proud to be the first air terminal in the northeast to participate…” he said. Not only that, but he was also hopeful that this new system would at least “help to make our customers’ journey as seamless and comfortable as possible.”
Helping Passengers
Copenhagen Airport
The Copenhagen Airport decided to join in on the fun in January 2020 as well. Airport personnel agreed that using the lanyards would alleviate the anxieties that go with air travel. The team at the airport released a statement that read, “Procedures such as check-ins, security checks and boarding the aircraft can be a stressful experience for all travelers.”
Copenhagen Airport
Even More Difficult
For the people eligible to don the sunflower lanyards, this procedure is even more stressful and difficult. The statement acknowledged that and explained why the new program is going to help make services at the airport even better. This does not only apply to the passengers who rely on it either. The staff at teCopenhagen airport has said that it benefits them as well!
Even More Difficult
Praising Their Skill
The airport trained around 25,000 employees that work for the 1,250 businesses operating within the terminals. Passengers that use the lanyards have praised the staffers for their skills. The program itself has sparked a conversation among the airport personnel. In January 2020, service excellence director Stine Marsal told Flight Chic that “it has had an incredibly positive effect internally between colleagues.”
Praising Their Skill
Even Among Colleagues
Mind you, the program does more than to give representation to a certain sector of society. Marsal added, “We have also noted that it has had an incredibly positive effect internally between colleagues. People with hidden disabilities and diagnoses are not just our customers. They are also ourselves. They are our families and those closest to us.” This is precisely the reason the lanyards have spread to more places across the globe!
Even Among Colleagues
Using It Elsewhere
Like we have said in the past, the United Kingdom has used the sunflower lanyard system in other places as well. Two years after Gatwick Airport started to use this system, the rail system adopted the same program too. There are hospitals and national supermarkets that have employed the useful plan as well.
Using It Elsewhere
Other Places
In 2019, shopping centers, sports venues, insurance companies, and banks have decided to follow suit. The organization that makes the sunflower lanyard also launched a website that would allow people to buy their own lanyards. The Facebook page has gathered 25,000 fans in only a matter of days! This was how they began to draw more attention not only within the country but also across the globe.
Other Places
Across The Globe
You already know by now that the program has made its way out of the United Kingdom and into other countries. By May 2020, the sunflower lanyard system is employed in Argentina, Australia, and South Carolina as well. There are now 991 locations in Europe that recognize this amazing symbol. Among other countries within the content, it is in use in certain places in Italy, Spain, Lithuania, and Sweden.
Across The Globe
Its Use
We have already learned a lot about the sunflower lanyard system, but we still have yet to reveal its actual use! Over a million of them have been deployed by the organization and various businesses out there. Allow us to explain to you what it means! This way, you will know what to do if you see one.
Its Use
Those With Invisible Disabilities
The system started from a conversation at Gatwick Airport that took place a couple of years ago. In 2016, the founders of the program wanted to know, “How can we recognize that one of our passengers may have a non-obvious disability?” From there, they were able to come up with a brilliant idea.
Those With Invisible Disabilities
Hidden Disabilities Symbol
A billion people across the globe could use the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower symbol. According to the World Health Organization, that is the number of people living with some kind of impairment. A different survey, one that was conducted in the United States, reported that almost three-quarters of Americans suffer from disabilities that do not have any visual signal.
Hidden Disabilities Symbol
More Difficult
A lot of public spaces have factored in the challenges that people with visually signaled conditions go through. For one thing, most airports are built to be wheelchair-friendly and have braille in the signage. However, it is more difficult to come up with a system that will help people with invisible conditions like fatigue or chronic pain.
More Difficult
Letting People Talk About It
Aside from that, 88 percent of people with invisible disabilities shy away from talking about their struggles with other people. In 2017, the BBC quoted a Canadian study conducted in 2011. Scope disability charity service manager Guy Chaudoir told the BBC, “People worry about being labeled. One of the hardest things is putting pressure on yourself to achieve, and being afraid to ask for help, to say, ‘I can’t do this today.’”
Letting People Talk About It
Discreet But Effective
With the sunflower lanyards, the goal is to take away the stress from these travelers. The garment is discreet enough but will still alert airport personnel when necessary. The person in need can simply put it on. Another option is for a different member of a group to wear it to signal that someone in the party has an invisible condition.
Discreet But Effective
Extra Help
The sunflower lanyard has also given airport personnel the opportunity to ask passengers about the assistance that they need in a more comfortable manner. In 2019, Perry Cooper, the airport spokesman of Sea-Tac, told the U.S. News & World Report, “Maybe this customer needs a little more help. Maybe this is why they’re speaking slowly, or reacting in a different way. This is for those people who need some extra help that is not readily recognizable.”
Extra Help
A Recognizable Symbol
Jack Bigglestone-Silk is the accessibility manager at Gatwick Airport. He told the magazine that they picked the sunflower since it is easily recognizable to people aware of the program. The airports that use the same system can train its staffers to identify the lanyard and figure out how to proceed from there.
A Recognizable Symbol
Ensuring Quality
He also said, “So we now provide free training on accessibility to all organizations on the airport campus to ensure consistent standards all the way through the airport journey. This includes training on how to recognize our lanyards and what to do if you see someone wearing one [who] needs a little extra help.”
Ensuring Quality