For Mary Lou Retton, the 1984 Olympics yielded a sisterhood that has lasted 40 years.
So the gold medalist could not help but be moved to tears when she was surprised with a special videotaped message from all five of her former teammates—Michelle Dusserre, 55, Pam Bileck, 55, Tracee Talavera, 57, Julianne McNamara, 58, and Kathy Johnson, 64—on the Kelly Clarkson Show July 25.
Dusserre said she was glad Retton, who was hospitalized last fall with a rare form of pneumonia, was feeling better, adding, “Keep getting better.”
Johnson, meanwhile, told Retton, “We have your back. Always have, always will. You got this.”
As for how Retton, 56, reacted to the moment? Emotional, the retired gymnast called the video “so special.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time she’s heard from her fellow Los Angeles Olympics athletes, as Retton revealed the “84 Squad” has a group text.
“Of course, that was 40 years ago, and we’re still best friends, still sisters,” she expressed to Kelly Clarkson. “We’ve helped each other go through life, you know, the good and the bad, seeing each other through that and always supporting one another.”
