Nursing influencer and wife of L.A. firefighter dies after giving birth to their son
An emergency room nurse and online influencer who was the wife of a Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter died after giving birth to their son, her husband shared in a social media post.
Matthew Okula confirmed in an April 1 Instagram post that his wife, Hailey Marie Okula, died from complications of childbirth. The baby boy, named Crew, survived.
Hailey was known on Instagram as "Nurse Hailey" and had more than 440,000 followers on the social media platform. She launched an "RN New Grads" program to help nurses who had just graduated.
"Words cannot convey the depth of the loss I feel," he wrote. "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. 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."
Read more: Orange County firefighter dies of cardiac arrest amid early morning fire
Hailey had struggled with infertility and went through a challenging IVF process before announcing in September that she was pregnant.
"Hailey faced every hurdle with so much courage and love—even though her body went through so much, she never wavered," Matthew wrote in the post. "I will never forget the moment I broke down, apologizing for the toll the process would take on her. She held my face, looked into my eyes, and said, 'We are a team, and we'll get through this together.' That was Hailey. A fighter. A teammate. A woman who would do anything for the people she loved."
The Los Angeles Fire Department, where Matthew worked as a engineer, also paid tribute to Hailey.
"On March 29, 2025, during the delivery of their child, Mrs. Hailey Okula, wife of LAFD Engineer Matthew Okula, tragically passed away," according to a LAFD social media post. The agency added that they are "working to support Engineer Okula and his newborn, Crew, during this unimaginably difficult time."
Matthew Okula told KTTV that Hailey went into cardiac arrest after giving birth to their son, Crew.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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