John O’Leary is the hero of the new movie “Soul on Fire,” but to hear him tell it, he’s not.

O’Leary is the bestselling author and motivational speaker from Webster Groves who accidentally set himself on fire when he was 9 years old. Burns covered nearly 90% of his body, and doctors gave him little or no chance of survival.

But he did survive, and he thrived. With the unceasing love and faith of his family, the skill of the doctors and staff at what is now Mercy Children’s Hospital and the not-insignificant emotional support of legendary sports broadcaster Jack Buck, the little boy whose fingers had to be amputated because of the burns has grown to become an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people.

In the movie, O’Leary is played by Joel Courtney, the star of the “The Kissing Boo

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