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Hailey Okula, the famous nursing influencer, passed away last month. The 33-year-old nurse had more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and more than 200,000 followers on TikTok.
Hailey Okula's firefighter husband, Matthew Okula, told FOX 11 Los Angeles in an interview that she passed away due to childbirth complications. He stated that minutes after giving birth to their first child, Crew, she had a cardiac arrest, which was caused by amniotic fluid embolism.
Matthew Okula told the media outlet that they struggled to conceive, and after rounds of In- vitro fertilization (IVF), she finally got pregnant. Calling her sudden death "noble," he said that Hailey saw their son for a split second.
"She went into cardiac arrest, and the doctors say it was from a very, very rare complication known as amniotic fluid embolism. She gave her life in the most noble way. She was able to see him for a split second, and I'm always going to remember that," he said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, amniotic fluid embolism is a rare childbirth complication. The amniotic fluid surrounding the baby enters the mother's bloodstream, causing an allergic-like reaction. It can lead to respiratory and cardiac complications and excessive bleeding.
More details about Hailey Okula's sudden death
On April 4, Matthew Okula gave an exclusive interview with US Weekly. He shared that Hailey Okula loved her profession and always stood up for new graduates who are often bullied. He stated that she never hesitated to call out bullies in order to maintain a healthy working environment. He said:
"She loved nursing. She loved being an entrepreneur. She loved helping others, the nursing community, my family, everyone. She loved giving back. She wanted to make a difference for new nurses. A lot of times, new grads get bullied by older nurses, and Hailey was adamant about fostering a healthy environment."
While talking about his wife's sudden passing, Matthew shared that the doctors tried their best, and everything happened so fast that they couldn't save her. He said that soon after Hailey had cardiac arrest, there was lung failure and internal bleeding in her body. He said:
"Her OBGYN said they were doing everything they could, but it just took over. I couldn't wrap my head around it. She was so healthy, everything had gone well, and then suddenly she was gone. Even in the ICU with every specialist — cardiologists, pulmonologists — no one could save her. It was just so fast, and her body was hit with everything at once: heart failure, lung failure, internal bleeding."
According to the media outlet's report, a candlelight vigil will be held on April 26 at 6:30 p.m. in Huntington Beach, California, to honor Hailey Okula and her journey. Her husband, Matthew, told the media outlet that they've contacted the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation and are planning to fund research on the rare condition.
Hailey Okula's family has launched a GoFundMe, and more than $365,000 has been raised so far.
