Daryl Idiens

Director

As Mia’s father and Melissa’s husband, Daryl Idiens knows how to love and support someone living with the rare skin disease Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).

Daryl grew up in an athletic household and was raised to believe that your body is a tool to be used, not just a show piece for display. That’s one of the reasons why he and Melissa decided that, in raising Mia, they would not treat her as if she were made of glass; rather, she should enjoy being active, without worrying about marking up her skin.

Daryl’s relationship with Melissa and Mia brought him to the MiaThrives board of directors, but it is his past experiences that earned him his seat. From project management, to aviation, to real estate development (he has been featured on the television show Lakefront Luxury on the Cottage Life channel), Daryl’s diverse portfolio allows him to contribute to MiaThrives in a variety of ways—especially when it comes to understanding financials.

Aside from flying and real estate, Daryl loves spending time with Melissa and Mia, whether on the ski hill or relaxing at home with their two dogs. Through his work with MiaThrives, Daryl hopes that other parents of Butterfly Children will be inspired to encourage their kids to enjoy being kids.

Daryl’s Butterfly

Daryl is represented by the Blue Morpho Butterly. The shade of Daryl’s eyes is similar to the light shade of the Blue Morpho’s wings. Blue is Daryl’s favourite colour, and his wife Melissa and daughter Mia both have blue birthstones. The colour blue is indicative of loyalty, and loyalty is one of Daryl’s overriding characteristics. He’s deeply loyal to both of his Butterfly Girls, the one he married and the one he created. He’s also loyal to the EB community in general. Blue butterflies symbolize meaningful purpose in life, and Daryl has found new purpose through MiaThrives.