John O’Leary shared his experience surviving severe burns as a child and leading a life of gratitude and service. 

From explosive reactions to the tiniest kindnesses, John O’Leary’s life has been defined not by physical circumstances but by the actions of others.

O’Leary was the keynote speaker Dec. 11 at the Iowa Farm Bureau annual meeting in Des Moines. He shared a message of overcoming extreme hardship — he was burned nearly to death at 9 years old — and the people who brought him through that life-changing experience.

“One of the great lies we tell ourselves in America is that we can [make] it by ourselves,” O’Leary said. “This could not be farther from the truth. You can’t do it by yourself. We need our community, family and friends. We need unity; we need one another.”

How it started

When O’Leary was 9, he was playing with a can of gasoline and matches in his garage near St. Louis, causing an explosion that left him with third-degree burns over 87% of his body and a very slim chance of survival.

“At one moment, I was happy and healthy; my life was awesome. Then life changed in an instant,” he said.

Ultimately, O’Leary spent al­most six...