This doesn't really answer your ultimate question, but do consider virtualsue's suggestion to use use CGI::Carp qw(fatalsToBrowser);, often a lifesaver.

Also consider using Mail::Sendmail or some other alternatives to the plain wrapper sendmail. The former is a bit more secure and allows you to do cleaner coding, as in:

   my %mail = ( To  => $to,
      From       => $from,
      #Bcc       => ,
      #Cc         => ,
      Subject   => $subject,
      Message  => "
      Name      = $name\n
      Email      = $email\n
      etc....
      ");
    
    sendmail(%mail) or die $Mail::Sendmail::error;
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All the best