Nursing Influencer Hailey Okula’s Cause of Death Revealed

• Nursing influencer Hailey Okula died on March 29 when she went into cardiac arrest after giving birth to a son, whom she and her husband Matt welcomed through IVF.
• Matt shared the news of her sudden, tragic death in an Instagram post paying tribute to his late wife, who was known as “Nurse Hailey” to her 425,000 Instagram followers.
• Speaking to Fox 11 Los Angeles about Hailey’s death, Matt revealed that her cause of death was an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare complication that caused her cardiac arrest.

A cause of death for Hailey Okula — known as “Nurse Hailey” to her 425,000 Instagram followers — has been revealed, according to her family.

In an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, her husband Matthew revealed that minutes after their first son was born via cesarean section, his wife went into cardiac arrest after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE).

“There’s no treatment. There’s no way of diagnosis it,” he said in the broadcast. “It’s just so sad to think that other people have to go through what I’m going through right now.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, an amniotic fluid embolism is a rare pregnancy complication caused by “amniotic fluid, fetal cells, hair, or other debris” entering the “maternal pulmonary circulation, causing cardiovascular collapse.”

Healthline reports that while AFE is rare, it’s also the “second most common cause of peripartum maternal death and the leading cause of peripartum heart attack” in the country. Symptoms usually occur suddenly and are rarely treated in time to save the patient; the medical site states that there’s only an 83% survival rate for AFE.

On Tuesday, April 1, her husband Matthew Okula shared the news of his wife’s tragic death on her Instagram page, where she’d previously spoken openly about her infertility struggles and pregnancy journey.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the devastating news of the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, Hailey Marie Okula, due to complications from childbirth,” wrote Matthew. His caption accompanied a montage of memories from their pregnancy journey, including ultrasound scans, IVF treatments, hospital visits, and a photo of Crew.

His post continued, “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.” 

Hailey rose to popularity online for sharing her life as an ER nurse. In 2019, she launched her RN New Grads program to support newly graduated nurses. It offers “educational resources, interview help,” and more, according to the website. 

“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,” added Matthew in his post.

“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.

Hailey shared the “indescribable” news that she was pregnant on Sept. 17, 2024, which was welcome news for the influencer after “dealing with infertility for almost two years.” In the months that followed, she regularly posted pregnancy updates alongside her husband Matthew, who works for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

A description on a GoFundMe set up to help Matthew and baby Crew read, “On what should have been the happiest day of their lives, Firefighter Matt Okula experienced the unimaginable.”

“They faced every challenge together, determined to build the family they had dreamed of for so long. But in an instant, that dream was shattered,” the page continued, adding that Matthew was now preparing to “navigate life as a single father while grieving the love of his life.” 

“Matt is not one to ask for help—but those who know him, especially his brothers and sisters in the fire service, know the kind of man he is. A man who has dedicated his life to protecting others. Now, it’s our turn to protect him,” the fundraiser post concluded.

The GoFundMe had raised just over $250,000 as of Thursday, April 3.

PEOPLE has reached out to both Matthew and RN New Grads for a tribute but did not immediately hear back.