Twin sisters Dr. Valeria Trelles and Dr. Daniela Trelles, originally from Cuenca, Ecuador, have joined AdventHealth’s medical network in Polk County, Florida. Their journey to medicine began in childhood, influenced by the close relationships doctors have with families in their home country.
“In our Ecuadorian culture, the doctor is seen as a very close person to the family and like a family member that really helps you out in times of need and that’s what personally made me want to become a doctor,” said Dr. Valeria Trelles. “I really wanted to be there for people when they needed it the most.”
After attending the University of Cuenca School of Medicine, both sisters moved to the United States just before the COVID-19 pandemic to continue their training. The experience of treating patients with severe respiratory issues during this period influenced their decision to specialize in pulmonology and critical care.
“I think in my case it was kind of a breaking point, working with all those patients both in the ICU and medical floors that had so many respiratory problems,” said Dr. Daniela Trelles. “It’s kind of where the bell rang for me and I thought this is where I want to be in the future, this is where I want to lead my efforts to and where I think I can better serve people.”
Dr. Valeria highlighted her fellowship training at a large center in Florida as an important step: “I was very lucky to learn in a big center. On top of the basic pulmonary conditions, they had clinics for subspecialty conditions,” she said. “I was able to learn about treating patients with conditions like pulmonary hypertension and advanced or hard to manage asthma. I am very happy that I have those tools, so that I can share what I’ve learned with the community.”
The twin doctors now operate a Pulmonology and Critical Care clinic at 1255 State Road 60 E, Suite 300 in Lake Wales and also see patients at AdventHealth’s Bond Clinic location at 500 East Central Avenue in Winter Haven.
“We really want to be the friend or part of the family that these patients need,” said Dr. Daniela Trelles. “We can get to know them, and we can be very familiar with them. We really want to have that bond, that connection with this patient and the family, make sure that they feel well taken care of and that we’re always there for questions or any help they need.”
They report seeing many cases related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or unexplained shortness of breath among local residents.
“From what we’ve seen because of the very heavy smoking history of a lot of people in this community, COPD is very prevalent, but the interesting part is that not all of them know they have COPD,” Dr. Daniela Trelles explained. She added: “People come to us saying, ‘I am having shortness of breath, or I have this cough that’s not going away’. So when we diagnose them with COPD, the important part is once they have a diagnosis we can treat them and the great majority of them do feel better after treatment.”
Recent data shows Polk County has higher rates of hospitalization due to COPD than Florida overall—about 166 per 100,000 people compared with approximately 111 per 100,000 statewide.
“There is also a good portion of people who just have shortness of breath or cannot walk or do anything without feeling shortness of breath and they don’t know where that’s coming from,” said Dr. Valeria Trelles.“A big part of our practice is helping them understand what the cause is.We’ve been able to increase quality of life for many patients which is very rewarding to us that we were able to help.”
Both doctors encourage individuals experiencing symptoms such as unexplained shortness of breath—especially those with family histories involving respiratory illnesses—to seek evaluation.
They are currently accepting new patients at both locations; appointments can be booked through Pulmonary Care | AdventHealth Lake Wales | Formerly Lake Wales Medical Center.
AdventHealth Orlando—the flagship hospital located in Orlando—was founded in 1908.It operates as both a pediatric facility and training hospital under current president Terry Shaw.
