ATLANTA — In 1978, three women started working at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when they were 21 years old. Forty-five years later, all three still call each other coworkers at the NICU at Egleston.
While Patti Abernathy, Lorri Landes, and Esther Taylor all have different roles, they still hold the same love for the patients they serve: the babies.
“I started working with the babies and I just never considered going anywhere else,” said Landes.
Landes now works as a clinical nurse, Abernathy is an assistant nurse manager and Taylor is an assistant manager for respiratory care.
“They put me in the NICU and then that became my love. I just said, ‘this is what I want to do forever,’” said Abernathy.
Over the years, Landes joked the group has grown with the hospital, watching the NICU go from five beds to 50 and learning as paper charting turned into using computers.
Along the way, their friendship grew with it.
“We've seen each other get married, have our kids,” said Abernathy. “Now we're having grandkids.”
Taylor pointed at her two coworkers and friends, as she described them as family.
“You try and bring the new ones in and convince them what a great place it is and don't ever leave,” she said.
The trio admitted when they walked in the doors 45 years ago, they didn’t plan on staying that long. All credited the staff they work alongside every day with the reason they stayed. They laughed as they said their love for the babies helped too.
Sitting across from the three, it’s easy to see they also have that love for each other.
11Alive’s Molly Oak jokingly asked if the three musketeers, as one of their coworkers called them, were ready for another 45 years.
“I will say no,” Abernathy said with a laugh.
Each admitted, though, they may have a couple more years in them.
“I think we'll always keep in touch,” Abernathy said, with all in agreement.