At Jefferson Abington Hospital, labor and delivery nurse Kristina Marchuk is using personal heartbreak to guide and comfort others, writes Nick Iadonisi for 6 ABC Action News.
After losing her newborn son, Jesse, to a rare health complication 10 years ago, the mother turned her grief into purpose—becoming a beacon of hope for families navigating similar loss.
Marchuk now co-chairs the hospital’s Perinatal Loss Support Team, where she’s helped build a compassionate community for grieving families. Her efforts include support groups for both bereavement and pregnancy after loss, ensuring that no parent faces their pain alone.
To honor what would have been Jesse’s 10th birthday, Marchuk created and donated 10 bereavement baskets filled with comforting items—books, memory-making materials, and thoughtful keepsakes—to help families preserve memories and begin the healing process. To help a family go through something having gone through it and come out the other side really helps to connect with them,” she said. “It really means a lot.”
Her decade-long journey from loss to leadership has made a lasting impact on the Jefferson Abington community, particularly in the years following the pandemic when support became more essential than ever.
To learn more about Marchuk’s story and Jefferson Abington Hospital’s Perinatal Loss Support Program, visit 6 ABC Action News.
