Ximena Valdes, M.D. is Dr. Sesser's wife. Dr. Valdes graduated from the University of Chile Medical School in 1971. A pediatric residency at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles was followed by a Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at the University of California in Los Angeles.

Dr. Valdes practiced Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology in Los Angeles for 9 years before moving to the San Francisco Bay area, where she practiced with Kaiser Permanente for 10 years. She was subsequently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Children and Youth Project of the University of Louisville, a comprehensive primary care pediatric clinic serving high-risk patients of the Louisville inner-city. Dr. Valdes is now an associate professor of pediatrics at the Rainbow Babies Hospital of Case University, and specializes in global health emergencies.

Dr. Valdes is fluent in Spanish and is Board certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology. She currently devotes her energy to her garden and charitable causes including Opera Cleveland and the American Civil Liberties Union.