John O'Leary could have given up when he suffered severe childhood burns, but as the new film Soul on Fire -- currently in theaters -- shows, he did just the opposite.
In an interview, he said, “All I really wanted was to fit in.”
O'Leary's goal seemed humble at first –- but it also seemed to be completely unrealistic. He had been the subject of major news stories when, playing with matches at the age of nine, he had set his house on fire and suffered burns over 100% of his body.
The remarkable tale of O'Leary's recovery and journey to become a motivational speaker was told in an emotional and faith-filled autobiography, On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life.
Now, it reaches the big screen in Soul on Fire, produced by Affirm Films (the faith-based arm of Sony Pictures, which also distributes). Directing is Sean McNamara (Bau: Artist at War, Reagan, Soul Surfer), from a screenplay by Gregory Poirier.
While O'Leary (played by Joel Courtney), a Catholic from St. Louis, still faced serious challenges, his attitude changed dramatically 19 years after the fire.
Reflecting on the cataclysmic blaze which left him scarred -- and on the lengthy hospitalization and multiple surgeries he'd endured in the ensuing years -- O'Leary realized that, despite the difficulties, the fiery crisis had brought many positive results.
One Sunday morning, he sat in church, arms crossed and eyes turned downward. He was bored, he admitted –- not just by the preacher's message that morning, but by his life in general.
And then, his pastor delivered a message that struck a chord for O'Leary: “Say 'yes' to being used by God!”
The following day, while O'Leary was working at a construction site, a car pulled up, driven by a young woman named Deanna.
“Will you speak to my Girl Scout troop?” she asked.
“In another world,” O'Leary recalled, “I would have said, 'Absolutely not. I am not a speaker. I don't go in front of audiences. I don't tell anybody what happened to me. I am normal. I am normal!'”
But, just the day before, his pastor had told him to say "yes" to being used by Jesus. That hesitant "yes" led to his first presentation, which O'Leary described as “horrible” and a “total failure.”
But another presentation followed, then another, and then 100 times, and then 2,700 times. By sharing his personal story of tragedy and resilience, O'Leary had, in fact, become a well-liked and influential public speaker.
O'Leary had the support and love of his family, community ... and Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck (Oscar- and Emmy-winner William H. Macy).
Buck, announcer for O'Leary's favorite team, baseball's St. Louis Cardinals, became a longtime friend and mentor.
Because of this, O'Leary was able to use the improbable good news of his survival to better the world.
O'Leary admitted, “So, the fire ....over time and through grace, has given me the best of my life. I would do it for free, I would do it for an audience of one. It gave me this career, which I love.
"It ultimately gave me the commitment to Beth, my wife. It gave me 21 years of marriage, during which we brought forth four kids. And it gave us the opportunity to share this story today.”
Through this film, O'Leary sought to give credit to the nurses, doctors, and staff, who pulled him forward through a difficult recovery. But, even more, he credited his mom and dad (Stephanie Szostak, John Corbett).
“My mom ... she remains a hero,” he said.
One emotional scene in the film shows his mother teaching him how to eat. As O'Leary struggles to hold a fork in a hand with missing fingers, his mother sits and watches.
Some have criticized her for not stepping in to help and have called the scene too difficult for children to watch.
John, though, says no. Her insistence on his achieving independence was of paramount importance for his future.
“Because of her,” O'Leary said, “I am able to travel the world by myself, eating and speaking.”
“Without a doubt,” O'Leary said, “we wanted it to be faith-oriented, but we wanted it to be subtle.
"So, you can bring in a friend who might not be in the front row of a church service, and the person will be deeply moved by the story. It was grace; it was mercy; it was love.”
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing
Kathy Schiffer writes regularly for the National Catholic Register and Catholic World Report, and for other Catholic publications, including Evangelization and Culture, Crisis Magazine, Aleteia, Zenit, the Michigan Catholic, and Legatus Magazine. She’s worked for Catholic and other Christian ministries since 1988, as radio producer, director of special events, and media-relations coordinator.
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