Hailey Okula’s Husband and Son Benefit from Over $285K in Donations
Members of Hailey Okula’s community are uniting to provide support for the late nursing influencer’s husband and their newborn child.
A GoFundMe campaign established for Hailey’s husband and son has successfully raised over $285,000, with an update shared on Thursday, April 3. “Thanks to your amazing support, Matt and Crew now have an abundance of diapers, breast milk, and the essential items they need. Hailey ensured they would never be without,” the update stated. “If you still feel inspired to contribute, we encourage you to do so in a manner that honors Hailey’s mission: find a parent in need and support them in her name. Let’s assist those who may not be in the spotlight right now. Let’s continue Hailey’s legacy — not just in memory, but through action.”
Hailey passed away on Saturday, March 29, at the age of 33, shortly after giving birth to her son Crew. She experienced cardiac arrest due to complications following the delivery.
“The doctors indicated it was due to an extremely rare complication called amniotic fluid embolism,” Matthew revealed to Fox11LA in an interview that aired on Wednesday, April 2. “There’s no treatment, and no way to diagnose it. It’s heartbreaking to think of others going through what I’m experiencing right now.”
According to the firefighter, Hailey shared a “split second” with Crew before she required CPR.
“We had a brief moment of laughter [and] there was a tear on her cheek,” Matthew recounted to the outlet. “I walked out with Crew, and they said they were finishing up, and she would be in shortly. Literally a minute later, the doctor came in to inform me that they were doing CPR on her. I had to decide, ‘Am I going to the ICU with my wife or staying with my newborn baby?’ Not the decision I expected to be making.”
Matthew met Hailey, a former gymnast, during their college years, well before they tied the knot. After two years of struggling with infertility, the couple successfully completed an IVF cycle in April 2024. Hailey shared her pregnancy news on Instagram the following September.
“She longed to be a mom more than anything. She never placed that pressure on me, and the reality is it was my fertility struggles,” Matthew remarked on Wednesday’s broadcast. “At that time, she held me and said, ‘We’re a team. We will get through this together.’”
In the wake of Hailey’s sudden death, her family initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist Matthew with funeral costs, household expenses, baby supplies, and paternity leave.
“This is not about charity — it’s about duty, standing by one of our own when he needs us most,” the GoFundMe description states. “As firefighters, we never leave a brother behind. As a community, we step up when our family is hurting. Every dollar raised will provide Matt the space he needs to begin his journey toward healing and ensure that Crew is enveloped in the love and security Hailey wished for him.”
