Pianist Who Lost Finger After Building Collapsed On Her Learns to Play Again

Sonya Bandouil dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. But she had no idea the road she'd have to take to get there.

"Playing is my passion," said 23-year-old Bandouil, who has played the piano all over the world.

Her budding career took a life-changing turn last year, when she and her boyfriend went on a quick trip to Boston. 

Surveillance video shows the pair on a sidewalk looking for somewhere to eat. Suddenly, the facade of the building collapsed. Bandouil was trapped beneath the rubble, her body crushed by huge chunks of stone.

She was rushed to the hospital in a coma.

"I don't remember anything," Bandouil told Inside Edition. "The next thing I remember [was] waking up two weeks later in the ICU."

Her injuries were massive — fractures in her elbow, ribs, pelvis, left leg, left toe. Her right hand was crushed.

Worse still, doctors were forced to amputate her middle finger.

"When it comes to my career being a pianist, literally revolving around my fingers, I don't know how I'm going to make this work," Bandouil said.

She spent months in rehab at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston. And her parents are certain she survived the tragic accident due to a miracle.

"Angels were there. No doubt," her mother said.

Bandouil refused to give up on her dream.

Now, months after the accident, her scars have healed and she has returned to the bench. Sitting down to her first lesson with acclaimed pianist Baya Kakouberi, Bandouil's natural talent is undeniable.

She is compensating for her missing finger and is determined to return to the concert stage.

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