Hello, my name is Sarah Love. I am a family medicine physician at Crossroad Health Center in Cincinnati, OH, and I have been friends and colleagues with Valerie Mbacke, affectionately known as Dr. Val by her patients, for the past 5 years.

Valerie is kind, generous, steadfast, and one of the most self-sacrificing people I have ever met. She pours her life into the care of her patients and her family.

Valerie has had an exceptionally difficult past two years. All while working full-time as a nurse practitioner at Crossroad, an FQHC/low-income clinic in Cincinnati, and caring for and supporting her husband and two children, she has also cared for and financially supported her extended family in Mississippi. She has advocated and cared for both of her aging and disabled parents and moved them and two other adult family members, one of whom is disabled, from Mississippi to live with her. She has also been the power of attorney coordinating medical care for her brother with kidney disease from afar.

On 12/2/2025, she received news that her brother, Courtney, tragically passed away in the emergency room at the age of 38. When she was younger, she also lost two other siblings in their 20s and 30s to chronic diseases, and now only has one remaining living sibling. I cannot imagine how hard that must be.

When I was sitting in an exam room with her after she received the news, she was in shock and grieving the loss of her brother, and immediately going into action mode knowing that she will need to move his 8-year-old daughter in with her family. Once her niece comes to live with her, there will be 9 people (6 adults and 3 children) living in her household.

It's hard to put into words how dear Valerie is to me and to the Crossroad community. She quietly and humbly serves her patients and family every single day without asking for anything in return. She is excellent at what she does and does it with a joyful heart. She exemplifies the love of Christ in very tangible ways.

As you can imagine, finances are tight. Valerie has been financially providing for many extended family members over the past several years and this is only increasing with the death of her brother and the need to take in her niece long term. I don't even know half of her financial needs but know she will be paying for her brother's funeral and the expenses of moving her niece to Cincinnati and caring for her long term, in addition to all of the expenses she has been carrying in taking care of family, selflessly and without complaint.

Also, her 900 square foot house plus a finished half basement feels much smaller with 9 people living in it rather than the 2 that were in her household when she and her husband initially bought it 13 years ago. It would be helpful to find a bigger home to live in to accommodate their growing household.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you do not know Valerie personally, but I ask that you consider choosing a spirit of generosity like Valerie does and consider contributing to her and her family. Please feel free to send me any questions or additional ways in which you can help by messaging me. Finally, please pray for her and her family, especially her niece who lost her dad and will be moving to Cincinnati soon.