Michael T. Strenko was 21 when he died on May 15, 2003, at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville after a routine surgery to remove his spleen. A former high school soccer and track athlete who worked in packaging for Fisher Scientific, Strenko never regained consciousness following the procedure. His family recalls a troubling encounter in the hospital waiting room with a nurse, Charles Cullen, who described medications being given and told them Michael was gravely ill; the family asked Cullen to leave.

Investigators later determined Michael had been killed by a lethal overdose of the heart drug digoxin administered by Cullen. Cullen confessed to numerous killings over a 16-year period in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and later pleaded guilty to Michael’s murder among other counts. Families of the victims, including the Strenkos, reached a confidential settlement with hospitals where Cullen worked. Does anyone have memories of Michael or information about his final days that could add to the record?