Former NICU baby returns to Loyola as labor and delivery nurse
September 15, 2025
CONTACT:
Allison Peters
allison.peters@luhs.org
708-216-6140
MAYWOOD, IL – For Cristina Jakubec, RN, returning to Loyola Medicine wasn’t just a career move—it was a homecoming.
Jakubec was born at Loyola in March 1995 at just 24 weeks and 6 days, weighing only 1 lb. 6 oz. With a 10% chance of survival, she spent three months in the NICU under the care of neonatologist Jonathan Muraskas, MD, and a dedicated team of nurses. Her early days were marked by challenges, including a near-surgical infection that miraculously resolved after a baptism the morning of the planned procedure. Jakubec’s story of resilience was even featured in the news for Loyola’s pioneering use of “Kangaroo Care”—skin-to-skin contact between parents and their premature infants.
That early connection to Loyola never faded. As a teenager, Jakubec returned to volunteer at the hospital that gave her a fighting chance. In 2012, she volunteered on the inpatient rehab floor, followed by time in the Emergency Department in 2013, and on 2 South in 2015 and 2016. During one visit to the NICU, she was introduced as a graduate to a mother of a preemie—which gave hope to the mother.
Jakubec began her nursing career at Advocate Christ Medical Center, working on a med-surg/pulmonary/remote telemetry floor for three years. In October 2022, she transitioned to Labor and Delivery at MacNeal Hospital, and in March 2024, she came full circle—joining the Labor and Delivery team at Loyola University Medical Center.
“It’s amazing to be able to work at the hospital I was born at,” Jakubec says. “I love helping moms through their labor journey. It’s incredibly meaningful to build relationships with patients and witness the moment they become parents.”
Jakubec has a special place in her heart for mothers facing preterm labor. “Being a preemie myself, I feel a unique connection to them. Sometimes, when the moment feels right, I share my story. It helps them feel seen, understood, and hopeful.”
She still keeps in touch with the NICU nurses who cared for her as a newborn—some even attended her nursing school graduation party. And she’s had the chance to reconnect with Dr. Muraskas, the physician who once fought for her survival, now as a fellow health care professional.
Jakubec’s journey is a testament to the power of compassionate care, resilience, and the deep bonds formed in moments of vulnerability. Loyola’s NICU continues to be a place of hope for families, and Jakubec is living proof of the miracles that happen within its walls.
About Loyola Medicine
Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from nearly 2,000 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, the John L. Keeley, MD, Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, the Nancy W. Knowles Orthopaedic Institute, a certified comprehensive stroke center, transplant center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
Established in 1961, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital is a 235-licensed-bed community hospital in Melrose Park that includes the Judd A. Weinberg Emergency Department, the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care, Loyola Cancer Care & Research at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center, acute rehabilitation, a transitional care center, childcare center and fitness center. Founded in 1919, MacNeal Hospital is a 349-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Berwyn with advanced medical, surgical and psychiatric services and a 68-bed behavioral health program.
For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 127,000 colleagues and more than 38,300 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 26 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 93 hospitals, 107 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 142 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2024, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $1.3 billion in its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. For more information, visit us at www.trinity-health.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).