Who Was Hailey Okula? Nursing Influencer Dies During Childbirth Complications

A popular nursing influencer Hailey Okula has died of rare complications after giving birth to her first child. Her husband Matthew Okula, informed of her unfortunate demise on social media. Hailey Okula, an ER nurse had become famous, earning thousands of followers on Instagram, after speaking openly about her infertility struggles, IVF and sharing her journey of balancing her medical career while expecting her first child.

Okula had founded RN New Grads, an Instagram account with more than four hundred thousand followers, through which she offered guidance to new nurses.

"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," Matthew wrote on Instagram.

"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," Matthew continued.

"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."

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Minutes after giving birth to her son, named Crew, Okula went into cardiac arrest, as per a local station KTTV. Okula had undergone a two-year journey to get pregnant through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). When she was finally successful in becoming pregnant, in September, she 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," she told her followers at the time.

Social Media Mourns Her Loss

Okula's followers posted heartfelt condolences, sharing their personal experiences with her and how she had had a huge impact on their lives.

"Please tell me this is just an awful joke," said one user while another added: "She was my nurse during one of my toughest hospitalisations. I'll never forget her kindness and quick help."

A third commented, "Hailey's legacy goes beyond the work she did or the aspirations she carried. Her kindness and dedication to helping others left a mark on everyone she met."