Matthew Okula is grieving the loss of his wife, nurse influencer Hailey Okula, who died on Saturday, March 29, at age 33 after giving birth to the couple’s first baby. Now, unexpectedly thrust into the role of a single parent, Matthew hopes to honor his late wife while raising him.
“I know she would be up there telling me that ‘You got it, raise this kid, don’t baby him too much, make sure you do everything we talked about doing,’” he told Fox 11 Los Angeles in a story that aired Wednesday, April 2. “She gave her life in the most noble way.”
Matthew says Hailey, known to fans as Nurse Hailey, got to meet their son, Crew, “for a split second” before going into cardiac arrest due to an amniotic fluid embolism.
“We both looked at him and [it was] just Hailey’s personality. She said a little something because she saw how big he was. We had a quick little laugh there, she had a little tear on her face,” he recalled. “Me and Crew walked out of the room and they said they were finishing up, she’ll be there in a moment. Literally a minute later, the doctor came in and let me know they’re doing CPR on her. I’m making the decision, ‘Am I going to the ICU with my wife or am I staying with my newborn baby?’ Not the decision we thought I’d be making.”
Matthew also promised to handle her business, RN New Grads, which provides educational resources, interview help and more for young nurses. While he grieves, he asked via Instagram for followers not to purchase any physical items until he learns “the logistical side of that part of the business.” He also asked for patience, vowing to “resolve everything in time.”
“She was really particular, making sure she truly liked what was being posted and every resource she created,” he wrote. “There’s so much unposted material and so many products she was so excited to share. I’m going to do everything I can to figure out how to continue this business in her honor.”
A GoFundMe has also been set up to help pay for Hailey’s funeral expenses, handle household bills and support Crew. The account has raised more than $280,000 as of Thursday afternoon.
Jason Teter, listed as the page’s organizer, posted an update on Thursday to thank donors and let them know how Matthew and Crew are doing.
“Matt and Crew are still struggling to find a new direction in life,” he wrote. “But we know that Hailey would tell us not to let the pain stop us—but to use it. To use this moment to make the world a little better. A little kinder.”
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