The Power of a Postage Stamp

“In the beginning, it was a leap of faith. A whole year would go by and you’d wonder, how’s your son? Is he okay?”

Lois Lohse and Lori Squatrito have a unique friendship, forged in the halls of Riley Hospital for Children and sustained by the power of a postage stamp.

The two met over 30 years ago as Riley moms. Both of their boys were treated at Riley Hospital for cancer – Lois’s son Gordon for rhabdomyosarcoma, and Lori’s son Michael for osteosarcoma – and were roommates multiple times when their treatment overlapped. Lois and Lori quickly connected over commonalities in their families’ journeys. “It was truly a gift in a really stormy time,” Lori recalls. “It was a life preserver for each of us to have each other.”

At a time before email and text messages, Lois and Lori found another way to keep in touch outside of the hospital – through their annual Christmas cards. Short notes turned into substantial letters as they shared updates about their families and what else was on their hearts at the time. Lori recalls “holding her breath” waiting for Lois’s card each year to learn how Gordon was doing. Their sons were 4 and 6 years old when they met. The years of letters have seen the boys through high school, college, marriage, and children since then. “It’s as close to a miracle for both of these young men as can be,” Lois says, “and it’s thanks to the care they received at Riley.”

Both women and their families became donors to Riley Children’s Foundation, which felt like a natural next step. When Lori was invited to tour the hospital in Indianapolis last fall, she asked if she could bring another Riley mom. It moved Lori and Lois to see each other in person again – which has only happened a few times, especially since Lori moved to Michigan – and to see how the hospital has grown. “There are so many more resources now,” says Lori. “I’m so happy that [Riley] has evolved to what it is right now for the families that are in the midst of something like this.”

Though technology has advanced, the friends are adamant about keeping their letter writing tradition. “It makes for a very different but deep friendship,” says Lois. “I think there are things we went through together that only we can relate to because not every mother goes through this kind of a journey,” says Lori.

We invite you to make a donation today in honor of Riley moms like Lori and Lois.