OC Senior Gets New Lease On Life With Help Of Boxing Coach

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — An Orange County senior is pressing forward with a new lease on life after a litany of medical conditions left him in a coma.

Just two years ago, Jim Broncatello — a 77-year-old former principal, wrestling coach and Hall of Fame referee — was in a coma and nearly lost all mobility after battling sepsis, a heart attack and three strokes.

He woke up at Watermark Laguna Niguel, a local senior retirement community that provides assisted living for seniors in the area.

Jim was grieving for the life he thought he'd lost when he joined a boxing class led by 22-year-old amateur boxer, Nick Dome, whose mother works at the community.

"Boxing game me back a piece of myself I thought I'd lost forever," Jim told Patch. "I went from lying in a hospital bed thinking it was over — to waking up excited for class, to move, to laugh, to lead."

Nick has been volunteering and teaching boxing at Watermark Laguna Niguel for almost a year.

"I thought I'd be teaching basic punches," he said. "But what I'm really teaching is belief. Whether you're 25 or 95, movement changes everything. It builds confidence, lifts your mood, and gives you something to look forward to."

Jim now walks unassisted, lifts weights and throws six-punch combinations as if his previous ailments had never happened.

"I know I'm not who I was before, but in some ways, I'm better," Jim told Patch.