Colleges admission isn’t a prize to the kid who suffered most of or who struggled most. They are looking for the students who will succeed.
Having suffered trauma is not a qualification for admissions, not is having struggled. The essay is a way for them to figure out how well you can express yourself in writing, and to learn something about your personality. The “how I struggled and persevered” theme was used because it gave a good way for students to write about themselves. Because these experiences were also personal, it made it easier for students to “show, not tell”. At least that seems to have been the reason. There are many other themes that are just as good.
Admissions isn’t a competition for who had the worst life. In fact, as a rule, the kids attending the most popular colleges had much much easier lives than the average high school graduate.
Your essay is a way to showcase your best traits and your best writing, not a way to showcase the worst day of your life.