A University of Otago student and rising rugby star says he is recovering “pretty fast” after a near-fatal rooftop fall, but has also accepted his rugby career is likely over.
Jayden Broome, 19, suffered critical injuries on September 9 after slipping from the roof of the two-storey Castle St flat known as “Big Red” while celebrating his birthday with friends, bouncing off a wheelie bin before hitting the concrete footpath below.
He suffered a severe head injury, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and other fractures.
Broome was placed in an induced coma at Dunedin Hospital before being flown to Christchurch Hospital for specialist neurological treatment.
He has since regained consciousness and is continuing his recovery in Dunedin’s Wakari Hospital.
Speaking to the Herald through a speaking valve from his hospital bed, Broome said he had no memory of the incident itself, just what he had been told.
He said the days leading up to the incident were also largely missing from his memory.
“That weekend, that week leading up to my birthday, that’s a bit foggy,” Broome said.
But he remembers all his friends, his mother, Toni Dunn, added.
“He hasn’t forgotten any of that stuff. He remembers everything else, it’s just that time around the accident.”
Broome said his memory sometimes returned only when prompted by others.
The accident happened on Broome’s birthday weekend, something he now knows only because he has been told.
Since waking from the coma, Broome said his recovery had been challenging but encouraging.
“My walking is getting better ... It’s a waiting game, but it’s pretty close to what’s happening.”
His recovery began with movement returning to the left side of his body, first his feet, then his legs, followed by his arms.
Doctors are gradually reducing his breathing support, and Broome said he was hopeful he would soon be able to return home.
“I’ve talked to the nurses and they’re just weaning it off so I can go back to breathing normally,” he said.
“Once I’m walking and eating pretty well, I’ll get to go home.”
For now, he remains on a feeding tube and has not eaten solid food in almost a month.
“It’s 98 days today,” he said. “Any food, I’m craving anything.”
When asked what his first proper meal would be once he is allowed to eat again, Broome did not hesitate.
“Chinese,” he said. “I’m pretty keen on that.”
To pass the time in hospital, Broome said he had settled into a simple routine.
“I just use my phone to watch movies,” he said.
“I’ve got a good sleep routine now where I watch movies, listen to music, then sleep.”
He said the level of support from friends, teammates and the wider community had been overwhelming, and had taken his mother by surprise.
“I always knew Jayden was well-liked and well-known through his rugby and what he does, but I never actually knew it like this,” Dunn said.
“Seeing how everyone has come together to support Jayden and me and his dad, it’s been amazing.”
A Givealittle page raised close to $50,000 for the family, with Broome saying he planned to personally thank everyone who donated or commented.
His mother said the early days were the hardest.
“At the beginning, it was really rough, not knowing how Jayden was going to come out of the coma, or if he was going to come out of the coma,” she said.
“Now it’s great seeing him being able to get up and walk and start being independent again and making his own choices.
“It’s great at the moment. I know it’s not the best situation, but it’s amazing to see how far he’s come and that I still have my son.”
Doctors had warned the family that Broome could wake with significant personality changes, but Dunn said that had not happened.
“He’s the same person he was before the accident,” she said.
“Still very driven. Still very focused. Same personality, same everything.”
Before the accident, Broome was regarded as one of Southland rugby’s rising talents.
He captained the Southland under-19s earlier this year and was part of the Rugby Southland academy, while also playing university rugby in Dunedin.
However, Broome said he had come to terms with the likelihood that he would not return to the sport he loved.
Asked whether there was any chance of playing again, Broome said it would not be worth the risk.
“I could,” he said. “But it’s a bit selfish from my point of view to try, because it’s only really for me that I’d be playing. It’s only going to continue the risk.”
Despite that loss, he remained optimistic about his recovery.
“There’s no real timeline,” he said.
“It’s just waiting for my brain to heal. But I’m recovering pretty fast - real fast.
“I don’t know when I’ll be out, but I’m hoping like three months or so, and I should be good.”
For now, Broome said he was focused on small milestones and grateful for the support around him.
“I’m pretty positive,” he said.
“It’s been hard, but apart from that, I’m doing pretty well.”
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.