People all over the internet are coming together to mourn popular nursing influencer Hailey Okula. Known as “Nurse Hailey,” Okula used her platform to empower new nurses. But she also used her Instagram account to talk about the difficult journey she and her husband were on to conceive their first child as they struggled with infertility.
On what was supposed to be the happiest day of the couple’s life, Hailey sadly died as a result of childbirth complications. Now, her husband is left alone to mourn his wife and also care for their newborn son.
On April 1, 2025, Hailey’s husband, Los Angeles firefighter Matt Okula, posted the sad news to her Instagram page. He also shared a video of their fertility process.
“Words cannot convey the depth of the loss I feel. Hailey was more than I could have ever dreamed of in a wife and partner. She was gorgeous, smart, hardworking, passionate, trustworthy, and above all else, unbelievably loyal,” he wrote.
“Hailey’s strength was unparalleled. Words can’t describe how badly we wanted to be parents. After years of infertility struggles and a long, challenging IVF process, we were overjoyed to be expecting Crew,” he wrote, highlighting the long process.
“Though her time with us was tragically cut short, Hailey’s love for Crew was limitless, long before he entered this world. She would have been the most amazing mom. Her spirit, courage, and love will live on in our son, and through everyone whose lives she touched.”
In an interview with Fox11 Los Angeles, Matt Okula explained that shortly after her C-section, Hailey went into cardiac arrest after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism. “There’s no treatment. There’s no way of diagnosis it,” he said. “It’s just so sad to think that other people have to go through what I’m going through right now.”
According to Healthline, while AFE is rare, it’s the “second most common cause of peripartum maternal death and the leading cause of peripartum heart attack.” Symptoms come on suddenly, and there’s rarely enough time to treat the patient. There’s an 83% chance of survival, the site reports.
Tributes to Hailey poured in on her Instagram page. “She was my nurse during one of my toughest hospitalizations,” one person wrote. “I’ll never forget her kindness and quick help.”
“The nursing community lost a good one wayyyy too soon & I’ll do everything to keep that passion for learning alive 💕 Miss you so much already Hailey, I know we would’ve loveeeddd to debrief the whole labor together,” another nursing influencer wrote.
Hailey Okula announced her pregnancy in an Instagram post on September 16, 2024. “Dealing with infertility for almost 2 years and finally being able to say that we are pregnant is indescribable,” she wrote.
“Without going too much into detail about my journey from my infertility problems, to my husband’s infertility problems, to us having to create a special probe because we both carry the same genetic disease, lotsssss of meds and lots of money, the journey has been hard, but so worth it.”
She went on to detail her pregnancy for her many followers.
A fellow firefighter set up a GoFundMe to help Matt Okula care for himself and son Crew. Additionally, funds will go toward funeral costs to lay Hailey to rest.
“This isn’t about charity — it’s about duty, about standing by one of our own when he needs us the most. As firefighters, we never leave a brother behind. As a community, we step up when our family is hurting,” the fundraiser says.
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