Trella was 25 years old when she moved to Florida with her parents and siblings in 1909. She worked in Miami at the old city hospital as a trained nurse and became a mail-order bride to Frank Kennedy on April 12, 1918. He and Trella moved to Happy Camp, Siskiyou County, California where Frank served as district forest ranger and Trella helped the Karuk Indians of the area with medical needs. Their one-room cabin, in the remote mountains of Northern California was 25 miles from any road and their only means of transportation was by mule or boat. Trella was well-loved by the local Indians for her willingness to come to their aid no matter the hour and no matter the need. When a Karuk Indian boy fell from a tree and broke his arm, Trella traveled sixty miles to set the child's arm. When the boy's arm healed without any lasting disability Trella had won the trust of the tribe and from thence forward was called upon and eventually honored as their "Medicine Woman." Although she did not require compensation for the help she rendered, the Indians expressed their appreciation through gifts of food and various hand-crafted items. She was given baskets of all sizes and uses, woven ceremonial hats, papooses, decorative pieces, and even a tribal garment worn only by those with medicinal abilities. The most unusual form of payment given to her was seven woodpecker heads, and the most prized gift was a cup and saucer woven from materials found on her homestead. By far the most common payment form was in basketry. The baskets were made from native materials, some requiring certain conditions for collection, such as recent fire. Most were made of Bear Grass, Woodwardia Fern, Five Finger Fern, Willow root, Hazel sticks, and even porcupine quills. Frank and Trella lived in the wilderness for approximately ten years. They lost their only child, a girl, at birth while living in their mountainous home. When Frank developed a need for medical treatment the two returned to Miami. Members of the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs bestowed the highest honor upon Trella with the Chivalry award for her work with the Karuk Tribe. Trella responded, "The Indians did more for me than I could ever do for them." She spent her last days in her small home in Miami, teaching Sunday School to children and sharing the stories behind each Indian gift.