Overwhelming Odds - Softcover

Susan O’Leary obtained her degree in secondary education and has taken graduate level preaching courses at the Aquinas Institute. She has been married to her husband Denny for 36 years, and joyfully raised her six children, as a stay-at-home Mom. Susan has been a teaching leader for Cornerstone Bible Study for the last seven years and has become a sought-after inspirational speaker. She has worked tirelessly for organizations including the Archdiocese Youth Ministry Council, Retreat Work, Life in the Spirit seminars, Renew programs, Lector training and Liturgy Committee work.Denny O’Leary practiced law for more than 35 years in the specialized field of construction law. He has been active in a variety of spiritual activities including lay retreats for Christians in Commerce, directing Overnight Teen Retreats, serving as President of Lawyers for Life, defending the rights of the unborn in court, serving on boards of directors for both primary and secondary schools and for retreat centers. Advancing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease caused him to retire. Denny, like Susan, is an experienced speaker and author, having written more than a dozen articles which appeared in local, state and national publications.

This inspirational story is written by Susan and Denny O'Leary, who find themselves inside any parent's worst nightmare. On an ordinary wintry day in a quiet St. Louis suburb, their son John is engulfed by flames after a gasoline explosion. John, just nine years old, critically injured and, begging to die, is transported to St. John's hospital where he remains for more than four months, with 98% of his body severely burned.Against all odds, John lives. Along the arduous road to recovery he meets and is helped by a cast of fascinating and sympathetic characters: Jack Buck, announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals; Gino Cavallini, dynamic member of the St. Louis Blues hockey team; Glenn Cunningham, motivational speaker and former Olympic champion; and a host of family, medical proivders, friends, and strangers, who share themselves, their talents and their God to help John first survive and eventually thrive.