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Veteran continues to save lives one year after his fatal motorcycle accident

On Memorial Day, many people come together and honor those who have died serving our country. This holiday weekend, a local family is remembering a beloved veteran who continued to serve even after his death.

Patrick Brozowski’s Marine Corps career spanned two decades, including three tours in Desert Storm in Iraq and as commanding officer in Afghanistan.

“You learn to live your life without the person you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with,” says Liz Brozowski, Patrick’s wife, reflecting on how she struggles with grief by remembering the good times.

“His personality was as big as his stature. He had a heart of gold (and) he loved his family. He loved being in the military. It kind of shaped him. He was in it for 24 years, and I think when he was in the military, helping people was just what he loved to do,” she said.

He was also a father, teacher and member of the Combat Veteran Association.

“These were the people he identified with, much like in the military. Because they were his brothers and sisters who had lived the same lives. Most of them are retired, some are not, but they shared a brotherhood that he sorely missed,” Brozowski said.

For Brozowski, March 26, 2023 was the day everything changed for her family. Patrick and Liz were both involved in a motorcycle accident.

“I smelled burning rubber. I tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘I think we need to pull over.’ That’s the last thing I remember,” she said.

When Patrick realized they were about to crash, he hugged his wife tightly and took the brunt of the impact, saving her life.

“When he saved my life, he hit his head on the right and left side, fracturing his skull on the entire right side. And then he suffered the traumatic brain injury on the left side,” she said.

Patrick was subsequently declared brain dead. He was honored with a flag raising, memorial service and honor march where more than 100 members of the Combat Veteran Association celebrated his life, legacy and impact.

“Patrick helped us a lot in helping the families of those who died,” said Al Seglund, chapter commander of Chapter 15 of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. “So we always looked at it as a golden rule. If it was our turn, how would we want to help families be remembered and celebrated?”

Seglund stood by Brozowski as she recovered from her injuries in the accident and mourned her loss.

But her husband’s selfless spirit lived on. After his death, she remembered that he was registered as an organ, eye and tissue donor.

“It’s not surprising at all. (Patrick) was just a great character, you know? A big heart, always generous. So the fact that he was an organ donor and continued to donate even after his death was no surprise,” Seglund said.

Honorbridge, a local organ donation and tissue recovery organization, helped.

“A single donor can save and cure up to 75 lives. There are 100,000 people in America waiting for a life-saving donation, and more than 3,000 of them are from North Carolina,” said Dena Daw, a spokeswoman for Honerbridge.

Brozowski wasn’t sure what was donated, but a lot of letters came in. “I got a letter from Honorbridge saying one of his kidneys went to Walter Reed, which is incredible. So it went to a soldier. I don’t know if the soldier was on active duty or not. But I know a soldier received one of his kidneys,” she said.

“Later, I got a letter from the liver recipient. His name is Johnny, and he sent me a letter thanking me as if I was the one who donated. I wasn’t. He was at the point where he probably would have died if he hadn’t gotten a donation,” she said. “He thanked us for saving his life.”

But the story doesn’t end there.

Liz’s injuries required reconstructive surgery on a “cadaver,” and she worked with HonorBridge to achieve a targeted donation using her husband’s transplant.

“When Liz was due for elbow surgery, Honobridge was able to work with her surgeon and Lifenet helped facilitate a direct donation, and direct donations are extremely rare, so we consider this a special case,” Daw said.

A subtle reminder that a part of him will still be with her. “I can’t talk about him… because I get upset. And I suppose that will be the case for a long time. But I’ll hold him in my arms for the rest of my life. So he’ll always be with me,” she said.

She said this tragedy inspired her to encourage others to donate and save more lives.

To become an organ donor, you can register at Honorbridge.org. You can go to the DMV or the Health app on your iPhone.