A memoir by Alex Pigeon
Dear 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.
English edition in preparation French edition, Pour Anya, planned
A memoir
Dear Anya
A Dad's Memoir of Infant Loss
Cover artwork in development
The book
She was here. She was real. She was loved.
On December 19, 2013, Alex and Kayleigh's first child, Anya, died on the day she was born. Dear Anya begins in those impossible hours and follows the years that came after: learning to live with grief, becoming parents again, raising William and Juliette, searching for answers, and discovering the quiet ways a brief life can continue to shape a family.
Intimate, candid, and threaded with hard-won hope, the book speaks especially to bereaved parents, to fathers whose grief is too often overlooked, to the people who love them, and to the professionals who care for families after loss.
“She was here, she was real, and she was loved.”
The author
Listen & read
The book joins a conversation that began long before publication.
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.
Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
When the storm hits
Alex joins four other fathers in sharing how perinatal loss affected their lives, relationships, work, and mental health—and what helped them through it.
The original writing
This Happens to Other People
More than a decade of posts about loss, remembrance, fatherhood, family, and learning to carry love forward.
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. Naître et grandir maintains a carefully reviewed introduction to perinatal grief and a list of Quebec resources for parents and loved ones.
Once the book is published, I would be pleased to offer a courtesy digital copy to any grieving parent who would like to read it.
alex@alexpigeon.caLearn about courtesy digital copiesFind information and supportÀ venir
A French edition, Pour Anya, will follow.
The first edition is being prepared in English. Pour Anya is planned so the story can also reach families and professionals across Quebec's francophone community.
Publication updates
The story is written. The book is taking shape.
Cover, publication, and event news will be shared here as the English edition approaches release. The complete original blog is also preserved on this site.
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