Music · Shared in 2020
A song for Anya
A song written for Anya's funeral, by Kayleigh's Aunt Suzie. With thanks to Sarah for coordinating this recording.
Watch on YouTubeDear Anya
A Dad’s Memoir of Infant Loss
A father's account of love, grief, and the life that continued after his daughter died on the day she was born.
Now available in paperback and on Kindle
Final cover · SHR Book Design
01
The book
Dear Anya
Dear Anya is a deeply personal memoir that chronicles one father’s journey through the unimaginable—the loss of his firstborn daughter, Anya, who died unexpectedly on the day she was born in December 2013.
Told with raw honesty, quiet humor, and a steady undercurrent of hope, this memoir draws on more than twelve years of writing to explore the disorienting reality of losing a child and the slow, uneven process of finding a way forward. Through moments of heartbreak and reflection, the author examines how grief reshaped his sense of self, his marriage, and his experience of becoming a father again.
Alongside the pain, Dear Anya traces the enduring ways even a short life can shape others, with a quiet legacy carried through memory, compassion, and change.
This book was written to shed light on a common but often invisible type of loss, and to offer hope and insight to bereaved parents—particularly those at the beginning of their grief—and to the people that support them.
“She was here, she was real, and she was loved.”
02
The author
03
Blog
Latest writing
The writing that became Dear Anya began here. These are the latest entries from This Happens to Other People.
Perseverance
Writing a book can't be that hard, can it? When I set out to turn this dream into a reality, I figured the hardest part would be, you know, the writing. As it turns out, there were three parts that were harder: the reading part, conducting the…
Read the post
Dusting off an old hat
Today, my dear Anya, you would be 12 years old. This is the twelfth time I sit down on the morning of December 19th, under the gloomy grey skies and…
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When I Go
Happy 11th birthday, dear daughter. I am grateful as always for this annual ritual, allowing us to pause and reflect on your beautiful brief…
Read the post04
Watch & listen
The book joins a conversation that began long before publication.
Podcast · French · May 9, 2023 · 28:59
Naître et grandir · Histoires de pères
Perdre un bébé à la naissance. L'histoire d'Alex
Alex speaks about the first hours and days after Anya's death, and about the pregnancy that followed.
Video · French with English subtitles · November 30, 2016 · 17:51
Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
When the storm hits
Presented in French with English subtitles, Alex joins four other fathers in sharing how perinatal loss affected their lives, relationships, work, and mental health—and what helped them through it.
Radio interview · French · September 15, 2026
ICI Première Ottawa–Gatineau · Sur le vif
Deuil périnatal : vers un congé pour les pères
Alex discusses the push for paid bereavement leave for fathers after perinatal loss, drawing on his experience after Anya’s death and the need to recognize both parents as grieving parents.
For families and those who support them
You do not have to navigate loss alone.
This site and book share one family's experience; they are not a substitute for professional support. Quebec’s From Tiny Tot to Toddler guide offers English-language information about newborn loss, grief, and support resources available to families.
I would be pleased to offer a courtesy digital copy to any grieving parent who would like to read it. Simply email me at the address below—there is no form to complete and no need to explain your loss.
alex@alexpigeon.caFind information and supportPublication
Dear Anya is now available.
The English edition is available in paperback and on Kindle. The French edition, Pour Anya, is also available in both formats. The complete original blog remains preserved on this site.
Read the launch post