Harwich drowning victim remembered as adventurous, and kind - a selfless soul
HARWICHPORT — In July 2015, Brent Borodic hit the highway to begin a night shift as a physician and anesthesiologist at Eastern Maine Medical Center, but quickly came to a stop when he saw children lying on the side of the road — one boy face down in nearby water.
Carefully, Borodic pulled the boy, who also had severe head injuries, from the water and stabilized him, said Borodic's wife, Sophie. As the child was transported to the hospital, Brent Borodic organized the hospital's operating room so it was ready and waiting upon the child's arrival, and proceeded into surgery with the patient.
"It turned out that some guy wasn’t paying attention and just ran them (the children) over," she said. "If it wasn't for Brent, the child wouldn't be alive."
Brent Borodic, 39, who died in what is believed to be an accident on Sept. 3, eventually received an award for his heroism from Eastern Maine Medical in November 2015, said his wife, as she fought to hold back tears.
More: Harwich Port A&W is shuttered and for sale. What to know about the property
But it was his conscientious, humorous, and perceptive personality; as well as his commitment to his two small children that consistently captured attention from fellow doctors, family and friends throughout his lifetime, Sophie Borodic said.
"Brent was so full of life — he was the glue that held people together," she said. "It's just a shock that he's suddenly gone."
Likely an accidental death
Brent Borodic, who most recently resided in Brentwood, New Hampshire, was reported missing from Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich at about 3 a.m. Sept. 3 by his brother, Christopher Borodic, Sophie Borodic said. The duo was planning a fishing trip on Borodic's boat, which he purchased in Long Island the Monday before he died.
"Chris called the police and called me and said they couldn't find him anywhere," she said. "They looked at security footage, and saw that once he went to the boat, he never left the area."
According to a Harwich Fire Department press release, a Barnstable County dive team began a search at 5:40 a.m. At approximately 6:10 a.m., divers found Borodic underneath his boat.
More: Divers in Harwich recover body of man who drowned in Saquatucket Harbor
While the incident is under investigation by Harwich Police and Massachusetts State Police, his death is believed to be an accident.
In a phone conversation, Robert Brackett, detective sergeant for Harwich Police Department, said no drugs or alcohol were involved in the reported death.
After receiving the news, Sophie Borodic, a veterinarian, left her home in New Hampshire and drove directly to the harbor. During several visits to the site, she said the area was "calm and protected." She said Borodic must have fallen, hit his head and ended up overboard.
"I just kept trying to understand how it might have happened. But it just seems like such benign place," she said. "I still can’t believe it."
Laura Borodic, Brent Borodic's sister, said she's convinced he must have slipped and hit his head. He knew how to swim very well, she said, and his death was a freak accident.
"He just bought that boat last week," she said. "We are heartbroken."
Never wasted a moment for Brent Borodic
Adventurous, Borodic could often be found "chasing powder," said his wife, on the ski slopes of Maine and New Hampshire; hiking through ice shards in the White Mountains of New Hampshire; and whitewater kayaking in the West Branch of the Penobscot River.
More: Nordic walking at Bell's Neck in Harwich
He and his brother Christopher also kite surfed the oceans of Cape Cod, Mexico, Tarifa, Spain and the Florida Keys.
Always, his wife said, safety came first.
"He was meticulous and cautious because he saw a lot in the medical field – a lot of bad thing happen to people," Sophie Borodic said. "Even with the kids, he always said he wanted to be as safe as possible because he wanted to be around to take care of them."
Laura Borodic said her brother's preoccupation with safety extended to his family, friends, and colleagues at the hospital.
While he eventually transitioned to work at Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire, when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Laura Borodic said her brother went over and above to protect Eastern Maine Medical employees and secured personal protective equipment for his colleagues.
Even when equipment was scarce, Borodic began to think outside the box and realized the tie-back suits that are used on boatyards, were the same protective gear being used by hospital employees throughout the region. In his spare time, he procured thousands of boxes of the suits, picked them up himself, and distributed them to medical staff.
More: Rosemary O'Neill, State Dept. officer, daughter of Tip O'Neill, and Harwich resident, dies
"He got in his truck and drove everywhere and tracked down any form of protective equipment he could get," she said.
"At that time people didn't really know what COVID was and he had to still go in (to the hospital) every day and intubate people. It was scary. But he rose above all that and helped in any way he could." she said.
As the siblings grew up in Canton, Brent Borodic, who was 11 years Laura's senior, helped his sister identify her career as a special needs and pediatric dentist.
"Brent taught me how to do so much — I even learned how to stabilize patients from him," she said. "Just knowing what he did for a living made an impact on me."
Her husband's instinct to help others was just part of his personality, said Sophie Borodic.
"He was outgoing, sharing everything with everyone," she said. "He always stood up for his colleagues and was always a positive force in the OR (operating room)."
Brent Borodic's talents went beyond the operating room
Brent Borodic was equally impressive outside the operating room, said his wife, and he was constantly working on home projects, car mechanics, and was also a woodworker. Never one to waste time, he spent hours in his home woodworking shop, artistically creating furniture.
"He expanded his capabilities and taught himself so many amazing things," Sophie Borodic said. "I just came home today (after the funeral) and I'm just going through all of these projects he did, and I don’t even know where to begin."
More: Car hits Harwich home, two sent to hospital
The furniture he built, said Laura Borodic, stunned people. The quality left people in awe — in part because it was hard to understand how Borodic found the time to master the craft, as an anesthesiologist. And also because his hobby, which included wood burning, was executed at such a high level of artistic ability.
"People who do this for a living don't even get to the level he did. It's honestly painful to go through his projects because it almost feels like such a waste," she said. "He touched so many people with what he did in so many different capacities."
'Live our lives to the fullest'
Just last week, Laura Borodic said, her brother had told his siblings to live their dreams.
"He said, 'You never know what life is going to bring.' He said he wasn't waiting around for anything," she said. "He told us to live our lives to the fullest."
Borodic was also devoted to his two children, Grant Edward Borodic, 3; and Audrey Marie Borodic, 1. For Sophie Borodic, it's most heart wrenching to think about her children growing up not knowing their father.
"So much knowledge, so much love — all gone in one moment," she said. "We are just trying to wrap our heads around his absence. We are trying to comprehend and process. I'm still trying to find something that makes sense because none of it does."
As she raises her children, she said her husband's memory will stay alive.
"He will always be in everybody's hearts — and mine. We are just trying to find our way," she said.
Contact Rachael Devaney at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.
Get the Cape Cod news that matters delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Harwich drowning victim remembered as adventurous, and kind - a selfless soul
