A Father's Day letter about the founder my dad built — and the mother his death is shaping me to be.
by Julie Sawaya, co-founder of Needed
I was stopped in my tracks the other day—seeing a Father’s Day card. My first Father’s Day without you. “Best Dad Ever,” it read. I bought one for my husband, from our three kids. It hit like a gut punch to not buy one for you, too.
You were the first constant in my life—one I never doubted. You were my role model. My fiercest champion. I have you to thank for my part in co-founding Needed with Ryan.
My dad and me. Christmas circa 1991.
Your profession as a medical doctor sparked my passion for health and for helping others. Your founding of a successful cardiology practice helped me see that starting a company was possible. Watching you navigate diabetes and related health issues drove my belief that nutrition has the power to change health outcomes.
My dad as a newly minted M.D. July 1968.
And, let’s be real. A good part of my motivation to make Needed a success was proving you wrong! You cautioned me against starting a company, with my desire to start a family on the horizon. You knew the challenges of balancing parenting and entrepreneurship. But I couldn't unsee women's nutritional depletion. I needed to co-found Needed.
And once I committed, you were as “all-in” as I was.
You invested the small sum you inherited from your mother—a first-generation American of humble beginnings—into Needed. Her legacy of “family above all else” lives on in the more than 500,000 women we've served at Needed.
You were a subscriber to our products from day one. How profoundly hard it was to cancel your Needed subscription after you passed. You may be the only 83-year-old man ever to take our Sperm Support+ 🙂 a trendsetter; you always were. Antioxidants and probiotics are needed at every age, after all.
Losing you has changed me in ways that are both loud and quiet. Much like becoming a mother, the shifts are almost imperceptible, but profound. I am still me, but so much of me is in being your daughter.
How can I be the same me, when you are no longer you?
I wonder if you know how large you continue to loom in my life, even in death. How often my kids and I talk about you. How we “cheers” to Papa with our Immune Support. How losing you has reshaped me as a mother, and as a founder.
My Dad with my middle child, Marlowe, at my wedding, and with my son, Miles
Parenting and leading through grief shows me what I am capable of. It sharpens my resolve to make an impact in the lives of others. It makes crystal clear that our time on this earth is limited, and that there are no greater gifts than family and health. I am proud to support both every day through our work at Needed.
But more than anything, I am proud to be your daughter.
Happy Father's Day, Dad. Today and every day.
Julie
