At A Glance
- After surviving burns on 100% of his body as a child, well-known motivational speaker John O’Leary credits Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital with helping him move beyond survival and begin rebuilding strength, confidence, and independence.
- In this interview, the St. Louis native shares why he believes Ranken Jordan’s Care Beyond the BedsideⓇ approach—which encourages children to get out of their hospital rooms, activating the power of play—supports emotional, social, and spiritual healing alongside physical recovery.
- Ranken Jordan is hosting a John O’Leary Speaker Event June 15, 2026, in support of the hospital’s patients.
In 1987, a 9-year-old boy was given a 1% chance to survive. Doctors at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis fought to save his life. But his survival was only the beginning. The next chapter of John O’Leary’s recovery would unfold at Ranken Jordan.
John had been playing with matches and gasoline in his garage, something that sounds crazy now but was quite popular for boys at the time. A fire exploded, burning 100 percent of his body. Yet against all odds, he not only survived but thrived.
Today, John O’Leary is a bestselling author, internationally-celebrated speaker, and the subject of the acclaimed major motion picture, “Soul on Fire.”
Ahead of a special speaker event we are hosting June 15 at World Wide Technology Auditorium in St. Louis, we spoke with John about his experience at Ranken Jordan, his favorite memories there, and why he believes our unique care model, Care Beyond the Bedside, is critical to helping children heal.
When were you a patient at Ranken Jordan and how long were you there?
I became a patient at Ranken Jordan after being burned on 100 percent of my body in a house fire in 1987.
For five months, I received lifesaving care at the Mercy Burn Center in St. Louis. Mercy caregivers gave me back the gift of my life. But in receiving follow-up care at Ranken Jordan for wound care and therapy, I entered the next phase of my healing, one focused on rebuilding strength, independence and confidence.
Do you have any favorite memories from Ranken Jordan?
What stands out most is not a single moment, but the feeling of hope that existed there.
Ranken Jordan never felt like a place where kids were defined by injuries or limitations. It felt like a place that believed in possibility.
There was laughter. Friendship. Movement. Not just with the staff, but among the patients. They pushed us beyond simply surviving and helped us begin living again.
Ranken Jordan follows a unique care model, Care Beyond the Bedside, focused on getting patients out of their hospital rooms and using play for healing. As someone who has achieved so many things after being burned as a child, how do you think encouraging kids to get out of their hospital beds and try new things helps with recovery?
Healing is never merely physical. Certainly medicine, surgeries, and therapy matter tremendously, but for a child recovering from trauma, injury, or illness, there is also emotional healing, social healing, and spiritual healing that must occur.
When kids are encouraged to play, create art, compete, laugh, explore, and try new things, they begin reconnecting not only with the world around them, but with possibility inside themselves. They stop seeing themselves solely as patients and begin rediscovering identity, confidence, courage, and joy.
That shift is powerful. Sometimes life-changing.
From your own experience, why do you think finding something you can connect with helps the healing process?
Connection restores hope.
For me, healing accelerated when I stopped focusing exclusively on what I had lost and started reconnecting with what remained possible. Relationships, purpose, faith, movement, friendship, laughter — these things reminded me I was still alive and that my life still mattered.
Pain isolates people. Connection pulls them back into community and possibility.
That’s why environments like Ranken Jordan matter so deeply. They help children reconnect with others, with themselves, and with hope for tomorrow.
What advice would you give to a young patient at Ranken Jordan who is dealing with complex medical issues and/or life-changing injuries?
You are not alone. And you are loved right where you are exactly as you are.
Additionally, your injury, diagnosis, or limitation does not get the final word on your life.
The road ahead may be difficult. Some days will hurt physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But your story is not over. There is still joy ahead. Still friendship ahead. Still purpose ahead. Still laughter ahead. Still life ahead.
And finally, I’d remind them of something my mother told me while I was in the hospital after the fire. She looked at me and said: “John, look at me. Take the hand of God. Walk the journey with Him. And fight like you’ve never fought before. We’ll be right here with you, but do your part and fight.”
That advice changed my life as a child struggling. It still influences my life today. And might be great encouragement for someone else struggling.
Our upcoming John O’Leary event
Proceeds from our upcoming John O’Leary speaking event on June 15 will benefit Ranken Jordan patients.
If you’re interested in attending, you can buy tickets here or learn more about sponsorship opportunities here.
