What happened to Hailey Okula? GoFundMe raises more than $250K as nursing TikTok influencer passes away

Nursing influencer Hailey Okula passed away late last month, as confirmed by her husband, Matthew Okula. The couple reportedly welcomed their son Crew after struggling with infertility for about two years. Hailey went into cardiac arrest shortly after delivering Crew on Saturday, March 29, 2025.

In an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles, Matthew revealed that his wife had passed away after going into cardiac arrest caused by an amniotic fluid embolism.

Matthew uploaded an Instagram post from Hailey's feed on April 1. In the video fans saw a collage showing moments from their relationship. The caption of the post read:

"She was gorgeous, smart, hardworking, passionate, trustworthy, and above all else, unbelievably loyal. For nearly 13 years, she stood by my side in the hardest of times, loving me endlessly, even when I felt undeserving of that love. She was my everything."

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been organized to raise funds for the grieving husband and the newborn baby Crew. Several photos of Hailey and Matthew together, along with Crew, were posted on the fundraiser page. As of April 3, a hefty amount of more than $264K has been raised.

Jason Teter, the fundraiser organizer further posted an update and thanked the community. The update read:

"Every kind word, shared memory, and personal story has brought us comfort during this unimaginably difficult time."

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Hailey Okula shared her journey from struggling with infertility to getting pregnant through IVF

Hailey Okula had quite a strong social media presence, and currently her Instagram profile has about 430K followers. She gained popularity when she shared her two-year-long struggle with infertility to finally getting pregnant through In Vitro Fertilization.

Hailey shared the news of her pregnancy last year in September and told her followers:

"Being able to say that we are pregnant is indescribable. 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."

The influencer further had her baby shower in February 2025. According to The New York Post, many of Hailey Okula's followers suggested that they got help from her content while trying to pass nursing school or deal with their infertility issues.

In 2020, Hailey revealed that the primary reason that she began making content on Instagram and TikTok was to help and guide aspiring nurses. Hailey Okula's feed is mostly filled with nursing content with a few glimpses from her personal life, like photos and clips from her baby shower.

The comment section of her posts is now filled with condolences from her followers and the entire community, who are shocked by the tragic loss.

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As mentioned above, Hailey Okula had a complication called the amniotic fluid embolism which is a rare but life-threatening pregnancy complication. In this case, the amniotic fluid with tissue or fetal cells enters the mother's bloodstream.

As per the National Organization for Rare Disorders, this complication often leads to breathing problems, cardiac arrest, and excessive bleeding. According to Cleveland Clinic, since the complication is quite rare, its exact causing factor is still unknown.