Jayden Broome credits his mother Toni Dunn with helping maintain his confidence while he recovers from a major brain injury. PHOTO: GERRIT DOPPENBERG Next week a hole in Jayden Broome’s skull will be patched up. The piece of his skull had to be removed to save his life after the promising Gore rugby player fell from the roof of a Dunedin student flat during a party. Life is almost back on track for Mr Broome, who suffered a major brain injury in the fall that changed the trajectory of his life. The former Māruawai College student, who turned 19 on the day of the accident, was placed into a medically induced coma in Christchurch Hospital after the September 8 fall. After months of treatment, he is now preparing for the surgery to replace a piece of his skull which was removed in order to stem his brain’s swelling. He was contemplating whether to have the original bone put back in or keep it as a reminder of the day his life changed, he said this week. The day before the accident, Mr Broome had returned from Christchurch after captaining the Southland under-19 team in a tournament. He had previously captained Southland age grade sides before leading New Zealand Māori Schoolboys to a historic victory over New Zealand Schools and had even earned a preseason opportunity with the Southland Stags. Jayden Broome rehabilitating in Wakari Hospital. PHOTO: SUPPLIED For Mr Broome, there was no greater goal than to play for the All Blacks. "As soon as I picked up a rugby ball when I was 5 years old, that was it. I was known as the kid who would always play rugby himself, I lived and breathed it. "When I was 14, I watched the Richie McCaw documentary. "I took inspiration from that, started goal-setting, to be not just an All Black but a really good one. "All the time, it was about rugby. Even when I went to uni, some people, they love rugby but get lost in the drinking culture and start declining. "It wasn’t the case for me. I was still improving," he said. After returning from the rugby tournament, he did as many Otago University students do in and went to party in Castle St. Climbing on to the roof of a two-storey flat on the corner of Dundas and Castle Sts for a photo early into the night, Mr Broome fell off and his head struck the ground below, leaving him with a major traumatic brain injury and his life on the line. He was placed into a medically induced coma to reduce the amount of damage to the brain, while a part of the back of his skull was cut out to alleviate pressure. Jayden Broome in action for the Southland Stags. PHOTO: DEBBIE FAHEY As his mother Toni Dunn put it, the rebuilding phase of her son’s brain began when he opened his eyes and started the slow process of learning to look, talk and walk again. "When you wake up from a coma, it’s not like you really even wake up," Mr Broome said. "I woke up, and my eyes would follow people around the room. "It was rebooting from the ground up. There was feet, then legs, then arms. I was physically recovering really well, but I had to wait to swallow, to start eating again," he said. However there was one thing he could not do again, and that was play rugby. "Part of you just says yeah yeah, [but] you’re not really listening or thinking about what they’re saying," Mr Broome said of his reaction to that news. "My occupational therapist at the time, who I was really fond of, she just sat me down and was really honest and straightforward. "She told me Jayden, if you play rugby it’s not a matter of if you’re going to die, it’s when. I just took a second and that was it," he said. After 15 years of living and breathing rugby, Mr Broome said it took only a moment for him to accept, albeit with a lot of grief, he would never play again. "I prioritise my life. Travelling, working, all sorts of stuff over, you know, playing rugby, where I will die. "I was holding on to rugby for dear life, literally. "But I remember I was in a room in rehab, and I just bawled my eyes out uncontrollably. I said to Mum, ‘I can’t play rugby any more’," he said. Mr Broome is still in daily contact with his rehabilitation team, neurophysiologist and three counsellors to ensure he is back on track by November. He will then attempt his first cognitive test post-injury to see if he is able to drive a car, which will allow him to return to university part-time. For someone who had to relearn how to walk, Mr Broome is setting his goals high, hoping to potentially run marathons as a way to stay active, as well as another way to get back on the rugby field — refereeing and coaching the game. Becoming a teacher is also on the cards for Mr Broome, who said it was another passion of his. He credits his mother with his drive and self belief, saying she would always take his ideas seriously and allow him the confidence to move forward. Where one accident closed a door for Mr Broome, he said there was one thing always moving him forward. "I want to live my life."
