Great career, wealth and respect in society are considered the epitome of success. People who achieve this are termed successful. But these materialistic gains do not promise happiness. Happiness and success are different things for different people. They can be defined differently for each individual. Privilege or the lack of it also adds to one’s success in life.
Brooke Sevigny understood this while she was struggling with a life threatening disease. Born and raised in Newport Beach California, the musical artist and writer felt uncomfortable in her school. It was not enough for her artistic soul so she auditioned to study at a charter arts school where she was accepted for production and design.
Brooke started working on costume design and makeup artistry in her 9th grade when she was diagnosed with a genetic lung disorder. It was not easy living with the disease. Her body required biweekly transfusions and the overall disease exhausted her completely.
Other than her physical struggle, Brooke was struggling to find balance in her social life. She was behind in studies and was not able to match up with the peers. But unwilling to give up, she pushed hard and worked harder to graduate a year early.
When she was saved by her doctor she realised how privileged she was to get good healthcare. She was so close to death but she was saved due to timely and costly healthcare which many people do not have access to. She decided to work with the doctor who saved her and help the disenfranchised.
Brooke Sevigny worked with patients having rare diseases and comforted their families. While working in healthcare, she understood the importance of genetics and the role evolution plays in the overall development of a healthy immune system. She realised a large anthropological aspect is missing in public healthcare. Thus, Brooke decided to study evolutionary anthropology in Hunters college, New York.