Kootenai Health Doctor Raises Funds for Assistant Facing Terminal Heart Failure

Shelley Baysinger has spent more than three years as a certified medical assistant at Kootenai Health, showing up for patients day after day. Now, in her 30s, she is facing end-stage heart failure, and the Coeur d'Alene community is being asked to show up for her.

Dr. Brittany Johnson, who works alongside Baysinger at Kootenai Health, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Baysinger fulfill one wish: to travel, laugh and be happy during the time she has left.

"With the time she has, she dreams of being able to travel, laugh and just be happy," Johnson wrote in her appeal. "In the time I've known Shelley, her kindness and compassion have touched my life and so many others."

The campaign, titled "Help Shelley Travel and Make Amazing Memories," specifies exactly how donations will be used: passport and visa fees, transportation, lodging, meals, and activities for the trips Baysinger and her family have planned. Johnson framed the effort around experience rather than medical bills, directing every dollar toward time Baysinger can actually feel.

"Every contribution will help her see new places, try new things and find comfort and joy," Johnson wrote. "She is truly a loving person, and I am so grateful to anyone willing to support her journey."

Baysinger's situation quietly surfaces what many front-line healthcare workers face when serious illness strikes without warning: paid leave and employer-sponsored insurance rarely cover the full financial weight of extended absence for clinical staff, and community-driven fundraisers have become an informal safety net where institutional benefits fall short.

To donate, search "Help Shelley Travel and Make Amazing Memories" on GoFundMe, where Johnson organized the campaign directly on Baysinger's behalf.