Life on Purpose

Facing death inspires philosophical questions such as, “What is a life worth living?”

 When Julia Strecher was six months old, she contracted chickenpox and the disease damaged her heart. Without a transplant, she would not live until her first birthday. Facing the potential death of a child forced Julia’s father Victor, mother Jeri and big sister Rachael, to ask confounding questions such as, “What is a life worth living?” Baby Julia received a new heart, and her family vowed to give her a life filled with joy, purpose and meaningful relationships. They would never take the promise of another day for granted, for Julia or for themselves.

Julia’s life was never easy, but she treasured her friends and family, participated in meaningful activities and embraced every experience. She chose to go into nursing, a giving profession, to model herself after the people who helped her throughout her life. In 2010, at the age of 19, she died of a heart attack. Her bereft family struggled to accept her passing.

The works of philosophers can provide comfort and advice during troubled times.

After Julia’s death, her father studied the philosophers Aristotle, Søren...