Story by Debra Cano Ramos ’80 • Image Courtesy Renee Bondi
After graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 1982, Renée (Lacouague) Bondi landed her dream job as a high school music teacher. She was an aspiring singer and engaged to be married.
The night after she received her engagement ring, a bizarre accident in 1988 drastically changed her life. She fell in her home, broke her neck and became a quadriplegic at age 29. “To this day I don’t know what happened,” says Bondi, who in the middle of the night mysteriously took a dive off her bed.
Bondi lost use of her legs and hands and could not walk. She also lost her singing voice and was no longer able to teach music. What she didn’t lose was her will to live and to sing again.
“I found that my mind, people skills and faith became my biggest assets,” says Bondi, a gifted singer, recording artist, author, inspirational speaker, and devoted wife and mother.
“If you had told me before my injury that I would be successful as a quadriplegic, I would have said, ‘Yeah, right!’ When put to the test, you will be surprised at how much strength is within you.” Over the last two decades, Bondi, now 50 and married 19 years to the man she was engaged to wed, has given thousands of presentations and concerts across the country and globe.
“I see how much it helps others and gives them encouragement to continue on in their lives when they’re faced with a major challenge. It certainly gives purpose to my injury,” explains Bondi, mother of a 13-year-old son and a lifelong San Juan Capistrano resident.
Through her Bondi Ministries, she has given talks at churches, schools, conferences, corporate events and retreats about the lessons she learned in the face of adversity. Last March, she returned to Cal State Fullerton as a keynote speaker at the University Leadership Conference, “Light the Fire Within!”
Bondi earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and a teaching credential in music in 1991 from Cal State Fullerton. Her fondest memory on campus is the time she spent in choir.
For more about Bondi, visit www.reneebondi.com.
