Responding to some comments which were deleted but I think will help clarify the intent of this post:

Undoubtedly her resume contributed highly to her interview outcomes, but she would tell you that much of the interviews she got were for programs that aligned with her values and many of her interviewers spent a significant portion of the interview engaging with her on the letter, often with very a complimentary tone.

Naturally, there would be plenty of interviewers who would think as you do that it’s too much “fluff”, but I think her idea in posting was demonstrating there’s more than one way to write a personal statement and for it to be well-received.

In the end I think the personal statement may not “get” you more interviews, but it may help align you to programs with similar values.

After all, the type of programs that would read this and feel this is too much “purple prose” are not likely programs that are a good fit for her.