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 ...