Dominika Laureto AND THE
FOUNDING OF SUPREME
WELLNESS & AESTHETICS Written By: Riley George Dominika Laureto (maiden name Liwinska) was born in Poland and grew up in a communist country. Her family was poor, along with plenty of other families who were also struggling. She said that her family had become conditioned to be strong-minded because they did not know there was a better way to exist. “As children, we had to be very creative just to survive, and we found ways to find happiness. We were melting sugar in a pan to make candy and other treats that we didn’t have access to,” Dominika shared. After Poland became a democratic country, her family was introduced to quality products and services that Europeans and Americans took for granted. Still, they remained in a low-income bracket and couldn’t afford to splurge on this new way of life. When Liwinska went to college in the United States, she only had $500 in her pocket. Her story is remarkable. In Poland, she graduated number one academically in high school. She received a college scholarship and decided halfway through to finish her studies in the United States. “I came here for my American dream with nothing but five hundred dollars and a winning attitude. I learned to survive no matter what and never gave up,” Dominika reflected. At first, Dominika cleaned houses and lived in the basement of another Polish family. She was attending college to study English as a Second Language (ESL). Her professors and mentors suggested that she enroll in regular courses as she worked and went to school. She eventually enrolled in nursing school and worked through college with no loans. After Dominika became a nurse, she worked in a hospital in the busy Emergency Department for eight years and realized that Western medicine was difficult for her. “It just made me realize this is not how I wanted to practice medicine. I don't want anyone to misunderstand because I know most doctors in the United States are great. However, there’s a pervasive idea that the healthcare system is broken, which I tend to agree with. Working in the emergency department was an eye-opener because there are so many people who come through the door who are chronically sick on fifty different medications, and we wonder how they got there. Where were they ten years ago? What was happening to their health, and why weren’t the underlying symptoms being addressed?” she explained.
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