26-Year Employee Celebrates Birthday With the Gift of A Deserved Retirement
November 5, 1984. North Fulton Hospital had been open for exactly a year. The facility itself was much smaller than it is today—one building to be exact—and the surrounding area was virtually unrecognizable based on what we now see along Alpharetta Highway.
November 5 – a special day because it was Marilyn Freytag’s first day at a job she would enjoy for many years to come. 26 years to be exact.
So cut to Friday, January 21, 2011. Marilyn celebrates her 71st birthday with a gift that her family tells her is long overdue: retirement. She began her career at North Fulton Hospital as the one and only employee working in the Central Sterile Department. She now finishes her tenure as the manager of the department, which has grown to be much more than a one-person operation.
“When I started at North Fulton, I literally was the Central Sterile Department. There was no one else,” Marilyn said. “It was connected to the operating room, so all sterile instruments for the OR, the emergency room, and Labor & Delivery would pass through. I was very busy!”
After a couple of years doing the job alone, Marilyn realized it was time to reach out for some assistance. “There were times when I truly felt like I lived here,” she said. “They would call me in on weekends, holidays, basically whenever they needed me because I was the only person they could call.” After some diligent lobbying, the president of the hospital system granted her request and added two employees to the department.
In 2000 Marilyn’s world changed when she faced surgery for both breast cancer and gallstones. With great strength, she underwent both procedures on the same day, but the radiation therapy following her surgery resulted in the need for some additional help at the hospital. Enter Marilyn’s husband, a 28-year Navy veteran who became the first volunteer in the Central Sterile Department.
“He helped me tremendously,” she explained. “He continued to volunteer for nine years and became a fixture in the department until he passed away.” His sudden passing was a shock, but Marilyn continued forward with the help of some special people. “The people here and my job here gave me a reason to continue waking up in the mornings…I would have been lost during that time had I not had NFH.”
Several years and a couple surgeries later, Marilyn finally gave in to her recurring thought to retire; after all, she had been working in the industry for 38 years, 26 of them spent at North Fulton Hospital.
“I have battled with the decision to retire; it took a whole year to come to the conclusion. The hardest part is having to part with the wonderful people I see everyday.” But Marilyn has exciting plans for this next phase.
“I am going to join a senior activity program, spend time swimming, and take this opportunity to become more active in my church at Calvary Chapel of Alpharetta.” She also plans to tend to her vegetable garden and spend as much time as possible with her family, which includes two daughters, one son, five grandsons, and two granddaughters.
“When I first thought of retiring, a big fear of mine was that I would be bored. What would I do? Then I started realizing how much I would be able to do and how much fun I would have. I can’t wait!”
Marilyn has been a shining light at North Fulton Hospital and a valued member of the team. In September of 1997, she was named the first employee of the month. The following January (ironically on her birthday, like her retirement) she received the honor of being named the first employee of the year. The hospital celebrates her tenure and wishes her the best as she moves on to this exciting new phase of her life.
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North Fulton Hospital (NFH), part of Tenet Georgia, is a 202-bed, acute-care hospital located on Highway 9, Alpharetta Highway, in Roswell. Opened in 1983, NFH serves North Fulton and surrounding counties through its team of over 1000 employees, 400 staff physicians and 200 volunteers. NFH is a state-designated Level II trauma center and provides a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, orthopedics, rehabilitation, surgical services, gastroenterology and oncology. The hospital is fully accredited and also is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.