Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas & Amy Petty.
Hi Thomas & Amy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
One year ago, we welcomed our daughter, Millie, into our lives. At 14 weeks pregnant, we opened an email expecting to learn whether we were having a boy or a girl. Instead, we read that we were at very high risk for Trisomy 13, a diagnosis that typically means a baby’s life will be very short. Everything changed in that moment, and we had to make emotional decisions knowing the road ahead would be difficult.
After many tears and long conversations, we chose to carry. We believed that even if her life would be brief, it would still be meaningful. We wanted to love her fully and fill her time with joy rather than only sorrow. There were heavy days, but with the support of family and friends, we found a way forward. That season, what we often call our “dark tunnel,” became one of the most sacred and defining periods of our lives. As we cherished the time we had with Millie, something shifted. What we discovered was that by cherishing the time we had with her, the sadness of knowing she would pass became the joy of celebrating that she was alive.
The week we received her diagnosis, before we even knew she was a girl, we made a decision that shaped everything that followed. Because the blood test results prevented us from confirming her gender, we scheduled an appointment at a local ultrasound studio, which was personal and intimate. What started as a simple attempt to learn whether she was a boy or girl became so much more.
Instead of wondering from week to week whether she was still alive, we went and saw her at the ultrasound studio. She became an active part of our home and our routines. While others pushed through the workweek to reach the weekend, we pushed toward Friday so we could see Millie. We treated those visits like milestones:First day of school photos, first steps, prom pictures, moments we knew we might not otherwise have.
We invited family and friends to join us at our weekly ultrasounds. They met Millie. They loved her. They experienced her life. Today, we have more than 2,000 photos and over 10 hours of video from her time in the womb. Our three-year-old daughter knows her sister because of those ultrasounds. Our family to this day still talks about those visits as some of the most profound experiences of their lives. They were able to love their granddaughter, niece, or cousin in a way they feared they might not get to. Instead of hiding the diagnosis or letting it become something whispered about, we chose to share her openly. It changed the narrative. Millie was not just a diagnosis. She was our daughter.
From that experience came the idea of Millie’s Gift.
Over the past eleven months, we have been building the foundation to support other families walking a similar road. To date, we have
supported several families in different ways. Some have received multiple ultrasounds over many weeks. Others have come for a single meaningful visit. One family came just before induction so their children could meet their baby brother and begin processing their grief with memories.
We cover the ultrasounds and gifts entirely. There is no cost to the families we serve. Interaction with us is always up to them and at their comfort level. They can choose weekly ultrasounds, monthly ultrasounds, or even just one meaningful ultrasound. Our goal is simple. To create space for connection, memory-making, and moments of joy in the midst of heartbreak. Our hope is to lighten the load and make the carry a little easier. We have no agenda beyond love. We simply want families to know they are not alone. Every child’s life matters, no matter how brief. And even in the hardest circumstances, beauty can still be found.
Millie changed our lives. Millie’s Gift is our way of honoring hers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road – but it has been a meaningful one.
After Millie’s diagnosis, we were learning how to hold grief and joy at the same time. We were grieving the future we thought we would have, while still loving and celebrating the daughter we were carrying. That tension is heavy. You are preparing to say goodbye while still saying hello.
There were moments of loneliness too. Even with supportive family and friends, this kind of diagnosis can feel isolating. Some people do not know what to say. We had to learn how to advocate for our daughter and for the experience we wanted to have with her.
Starting Millie’s Gift has brought its own challenges. Building a nonprofit while still grieving is emotional work. There have been practical hurdles like forming the organization, fundraising, and building relationships with ultrasound providers & clinical facilities. Also, walking alongside other families is sacred, but it also brings us back to our own story every time.
It has been hard. But every time a family tells us an ultrasound gave them something to look forward to, we are reminded why this matters. Even in the most difficult circumstances, there is still room for love and beauty.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Millie’s Gift supports families who receive a life limiting prenatal diagnosis and choose to carry their baby. Our focus is simple. We create space for connection, memory making, and moments of joy during a time that can feel overwhelming and heartbreaking.
One thing we discovered during our own journey is that there are many resources available after a baby has passed. There are grief groups, counseling options, and community support. But during the pregnancy itself, when families are still carrying their baby and living in that in between space, support can feel limited. That is where we step in. We walk with families while their baby is still here.
We specialize in providing elective ultrasounds at no cost to the family. That may look like weekly visits, monthly visits, or even just one meaningful appointment. For many families, those ultrasounds become something to look forward to. They allow parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends to see the baby, bond with them, and build memories while there is still time. We also provide thoughtful gifts and keepsakes that honor each child’s life.
Millie’s Gift is something we have built alongside our full time careers and raising our toddler. I work as an Executive Assistant at a tech company, and Thomas is an Account Executive at a global security integrator. We move the work forward as we are able, balancing family life with this mission that means so much to us.
What we are most proud of is the atmosphere we create. There is no pressure and no agenda. We are not there to influence medical decisions. We are simply there to love and support families in whatever way feels right to them. Every interaction is led by the family’s comfort level.
I think what sets us apart is that this began from lived experience. We are not approaching this from theory. We walked this road with our daughter, Millie. We know what it feels like to sit in those appointments, to wait for updates, and to treasure every movement and image. When we sit with a family, we truly understand the weight and the beauty of what they are carrying.
More than anything, we are proud that families feel seen. Their babies are not just diagnoses. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. If we can help even one family experience more connection and less isolation during that time, then we are honoring Millie in the best way we know how.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Thomas:
Thomas grew up in a big family as one of five siblings, with three brothers and one sister. Life was loud, competitive, and full of energy, and he fit right in. He has always been curious, constantly asking why and wanting to understand the bigger picture, and has no problem sharing his opinions when necessary. He loved sports, being part of a team, and the built in community that comes with a large family. Beneath that big personality is someone deeply loyal and protective of the people he loves. Growing up in that environment shaped his confidence, his resilience, and the way he shows up for others today.
Amy:
I was number five in a family of six, three boys and three girls. Surrounded by all that energy, I was the quiet observer. I was sensitive in the truest sense and felt things deeply. Music became my outlet. I gravitated toward the piano and quickly discovered a love for playing instruments, especially percussion. I have always had a soft spot for cats and was constantly bringing stray ones home, certain we could make room for one more. Looking back, I can see that even as a quiet, music-loving girl, I cared deeply about nurturing what felt small, overlooked, or in need of love.
Pricing:
- No prices. Free for families.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.MilliesGift.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/milliesgiftofficial
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/milliesgift
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/milliesgift
