Jacob Maxwell Borisenko was described by his father, Steve Borisenko, as a young man who loved hockey and hip hop. The kind of son who was taught manners as a young boy and carried those manners through the course of his life.
“He was funny. He was everything a father would want in his son. He was a good boy. He was my boy,” Borisenko said.
On June 11, 2021, Jacob died of a drug overdose, believed to be caused by fentanyl laced into the Xanax that he was taking.
“I look at my car, and I see Jake sitting in my car and I’m petrified to ever have to buy another car now,” Borisenko said.
“I'll never go for a walk with my son again. I'll never get to hug him. I'll never see him buy a house. I'll never see him get married. I'll never have grandkids from Jake. Jake was my only biological son.”
Borisenko said he believes his son’s joblessness due to COVID-19 played a big role in his depression. The lockdowns didn't help, he added.
According to Niagara Region Public Health, 2020 was the worst year so far for opioid-related deaths with 625 suspected opioid-related overdose calls that were responded to by Niagara Emergency Medical Services and a total of 151 suspected opioid-related deaths. From January to May 2021 alone, EMS has responded to over 330 opioid-related calls.
The night Jacob died at least two other males of roughly the same age were reported to have died of a drug overdose in St. Catharines.
Earlier this year, the Overdose Prevention and Education Network of Niagara issued an advisory warning about contaminated drugs being distributed locally, noting at the time that there were approximately two drug overdose-related deaths in Niagara every week.
Seeking change, Borisenko began a petition calling on the community to create dialogue about solutions for drug problems, asking local politicians to not only provide the public more information about the issue, but also to increase police presence in St. Catharines.
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Senzdik responded when Borisenko reached out to his office. He referred to the death of Jacob as as “tragic” and “unsettling.”
“We're the ones that are able to affect policy really," he said about his role as politician in this situation.
After a meeting with Borisenko that Sendzik described as emotional, the city now has a “situation table,” a task force-like group that would include local police, health care workers and those who specialize in working with drug addiction sufferers and work to inform of the dangers of addiction, advocate for policy change and look at technical ways to support youth through their addictions.
The group is currently in its developmental stages.
In the meantime, however, Borisenko started development of an app called Jacob’s Wall. Borisenko said the idea behind the app was to give youth a way of anonymously calling for help, to avoid being ostracized by their peers. When finished, the app will allow used to anonymously call 911 or emergency contacts in a discrete manner.
“I'll never get through this. The best I'm hoping is that I can learn to live with this and I can save other kids and other parents from having to go through the same thing because it is completely and totally devastating,” Borisenko said.
For more information on the Jacob’s Wall app, visit jacobs-wall.com
- With notes from Abby Green.
- Moosa Imran, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Grimsby Lincoln News