Megan Lewis and Suzanne Pugh found friendship as pen pals in the mid-90s. After 31 years separated, these two women have beautifully reunited! Lewis began exchanging letters with Pugh when he was in second grade at Fern Hill Elementary School. Engin Pugh At the time, Pugh was already an 11th grader at West Chester East High School. Their friendship developed through their common love of gymnastics. As life took them in different directions, they soon lost contact.
The November 2025, Berkeley reunion was just the beginning of the story. Lewis, 38, eventually found Pugh’s name and picture while searching online. Her find—and her decision to contact him—sparked a surprise revival of their childhood relationship. Pugh, now 47 and practicing as an OB-GYN in the Philadelphia suburbs, describes his sense of shock upon receiving Lewis’s message. Yet nostalgia was the stronger feeling that overtook him.
“She texted me asking if I remembered having a pen pal when I was in high school,” – Suzanne Pugh
Lewis recalls the moment vividly. She did not remember their childhood history and wanted to learn more from the letters they had written to each other as kids. Once back in touch, Pugh photographed her letters and sent her photos of the letters exchanged, flooding both women with memories.
“I was looking at the letters [going like,] ‘Who is this?’” – Megan Lewis
Beyond being friends again, the coincidental timing of their reconnection is interesting. Lewis has been seeing Pugh as a patient since 2018. In addition to influencing her professional life, Pugh has had a tremendous impact on her family life. She delivered both of her children. That personal and professional connection certainly adds an exploration of motives by political insiders and outsiders.
“The amazing thing is that we didn’t remember being pen pals, but Megan is such a special patient and person, and it’s amazing to think that we were linked 30 years ago!” – Suzanne Pugh
Their bond deepened further during Lewis’s pregnancies. During stressful and difficult stretches, Pugh brought stable, supportive leadership. In fact, he went out of his way to attend the births of Lewis’s children, Caroline and Jack.
“I went through a tough time before getting pregnant with my daughter and Dr. Pugh was really there for me and really supported me during my pregnancy with my daughter, Caroline, and then my son Jack, and she made sure that she was the doctor for my deliveries,” – Megan Lewis
Both women said they were astonished at how their paths crossed over the years without either woman knowing it. Their mutual childhood experience with exchanging letters crystallized a sense of serendipity around their budding friendship today.
“If I could go back in time and tell my 7-year-old self that the pen pal that I would be writing to would end up taking care of me during my pregnancies and delivering my kids, I don’t know that I’d believe it. I feel like it’s just an incredible connection that she and I both have,” – Megan Lewis
In December 2025 the two met in person for the first time since they began corresponding as children. And so began their correspondence and the nostalgic remembrance of their letters and naive pleasures of the uncomplicated time they had exchanging notes as children. The gathering not only reestablished their physical link from history, but served to illustrate their powerful relationship today.
“I had no recollection of this. Her mom had given her a box of papers/mementos from elementary school, and in the box were the letters from me. She sent me pictures of the letters and it was me! It’s such a crazy small world,” – Suzanne Pugh
