Jaden Payne
Entrepreneur, Consultant and Sports Massage Therapist
Sport Rehabilitation, 2025
Born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and later suffering a Permanent Severe Traumatic Acquired Brain Injury (TBI) when he was 14, Jaden’s immense Faith, strength and determination has seen him succeed in his Sport Rehabilitation degree with an Upper Second Class Honours (2:1). He has now set up his own business in the field, inspired by the care he received in hospital and his time at St Mary’s, with a goal to support others through their own recovery journeys.
“I was surprised by how supportive the lecturers were. I expected university to be impersonal, but staff really took time to help. That made a big difference.”
Turning Recovery into Purpose
In 2025 Jaden became the first person to complete the Sport Rehabilitation BSc course at St Mary’s University with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). In May 2017, Jaden was in a serious car crash which left him with a Permanent ABI. He spent six weeks in Birmingham Children’s Hospital, including 13 days in an induced coma.
Before the crash, Jaden was a promising sprinter, and his only goal was to pursue his running career. The accident left him with short-term memory loss, a loss of peripheral vision in his left eye, and a weakened left-side. He also continues to experience balance and coordination impairments, slow information processing, immense neuro fatigue and cognitive overload.
Despite all this, Jaden returned to school in September 2017 and passed all nine of his GCSEs. The intensive Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy that he was receiving from the hospital had also opened his eyes to a new career pathway.
“Before my accident, I wanted to be a sprinter and had no backup plan. But during rehabilitation at the Children’s Hospital, I realised I wanted to become a Physiotherapist.”
Having decided on this new career goal, Jaden went to college to study his Level 3 Extended Sports Diploma and gained a Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM). However, he was told that he would need a University degree to become a Physiotherapist, which wasn’t part of his original plan.
With the encouragement of his mother, Jaden started looking at university options and knew St Mary’s was the place for him when he visited on an Open Day. Jaden started at St Mary’s in October 2020, but due to a COVID outbreak in his student accommodation he had to take a leave of absence due to him being clinically extremely vulnerable with his Sickle Cell condition and returned in October 2021 to restart his first year.
Jaden shares that he received exceptional support from his lecturers, Student Services and fellow students throughout his time at St Mary’s, and that he enjoyed living on campus throughout his student years. He adds that success for an ABI Survivor depends on collaboration — between family, community, educators, disability services, medical professionals and Case Management services — and that St Mary’s provided all the necessary support when he needed it.
“I liked that St Mary’s felt close-knit. The athletics track was right outside my accommodation and the gym opposite, which made access really easy for me.”
In September 2025, he set up his own Mobile Sports Massage and Consultancy business. His business has three strands: Mobile Sports Massage, Inspirational Speaking about Sickle Cell Disease and Acquired Brain Injury (sharing his testimony and his lived experience with both), and Research Consultancy for Acquired Brain Injury. He also creates and co-creates educational resources for Sickle Cell Disease and Acquired Brain Injury.
The Sports Massage and Research Consultancy side both stemmed from Jaden’s time at St Mary’s, with his Dissertation on ‘What are the perceived barriers of childhood Acquired Brain Injury on recreational sporting participation?’ playing a key role.
“Those three elements — Sports Massage, Motivational Speaking, and Research Consultancy — now form the foundation of JMP Consultancy."
Jaden believes he gained numerous skills from his time at St Mary’s, including time management, budgeting, and perseverance. But most importantly, Jaden shares that he was learning to live with his ABI — figuring out triggers, managing fatigue and understanding his limits.
He also adds that his time at St Mary’s allowed him to deepen his faith and prayer life, and that the community and the University felt like a family. While you might not know everyone personally, Jaden still felt that there was a real sense of community. Some of his highlights included Black History Month activities, like Rep Your Flag football and the Black-Tie Gala, and Sport Rehab events such as Play AirBall and the Christmas workout circuit that brought people together.
“I grew spiritually, emotionally, and mentally at St Mary’s. Living independently taught me patience and resilience.”
