- [Announcer] This and more coming up on the "Whitney Reynolds Show".

- So I was in 90% burn, 75% being third degree.

And on the initial night, and I don't know for how long, but I was given a 1% chance to survive.

Their main goal was to keep me alive long enough so my dad could see me.

- It was, "This disease is coming for me" either way, and I didn't want me sitting there feeling sorry for myself or being upset about it.

It doesn't change anything.

It doesn't make this disease go away.

It doesn't change the outcome.

- [Announcer] The "Whitney Reynolds Show" is made possible by Simple Modern, drinkware with unique styles for adults and kids.

Take us with you.

Kevin O'Connor, Law Firm.

When it comes to your injuries, we take it personally.

Together at Peace, a foundation with a mission to generate financial support for hospitals, schools, and many charities that provide compassionate bereavement care and foster spiritual resilience.

We are here to inspire tangible moments and share the light of loved ones who have passed away, always doing good in their honor.

Children's Learning Place.

A school for the earliest learners dedicated to aiding every child in uncovering the power of learning.

Our curriculum is centered around empowering young students with the confidence to overcome present and future challenges to promote a brighter future for our youth and community.

The Adventures of the Harry Moon book series for kids, that focuses on becoming your best self with themes of friends, anti-bullying and responsibility at harrymoon.org Kevin Kelly, Joe Perillo.com.

Hi-Five Sports, Fumee Claire, Respiratory Health Association, Hearing Health Center, Mike Dyer with Edward Jones.

(gentle music) - Here, we believe your story matters.

(audience cheers) - Whatever the story is behind those scars, I think it's beautiful.

- I was that story, the one that needed a safe space.

- We can build a stage, speak life back into this community.

- So we created it.

- From this moment on, everything has changed.

- Just treat housing as a human right.

- When I was, I think 15 months old, my mom adopted me.

- I've been transitioning for three and a half years and I'm nowhere near being close to where I want to be.

(audience cheers) - Before I know it, there was just an explosion and a force hits me and it basically blasts me back and I see just this red orange glow.

- [Host] A fire dramatically changed the life of Connor McKemey.

It would not define him though.

- So when I was a eighth grader, I was living a pretty typical life.

I played football, basketball and lacrosse and was active, had a good group of friends and everything else.

And I would say at that time I was getting into the dating scene that you can as a middle schooler.

And there was this girl that I had liked and we were kind of figuring out, are we more than friends or just friends?

And so as a kid who didn't have any money, you can't drive.

You're 13.

I had this romantic idea to build a little fire outside.

We'd throw some marshmallows and sit out by the stars.

And for me, I was just trying to get this fire started before she showed up.

I had everything going.

I had the music, I had everything laid out.

And in my haste trying to get this fire lit, a bunch of sparks were flying up.

And before I know it, there was just an explosion.

(emergency sirens blare) - [Host] At just 13 years old, Connor was burned over 90% of his body with third degree burns, and given less than a 1% chance of survival after this backyard explosion.

- The first thing I really see is opening my eyes and just seeing the sleeves of my shirt where they were rolled up, that was the only thing that was left.

My skin, my hands were black and charcoaled and it's hard to process.

You didn't feel pain, your adrenaline's going and everything else, but you just, you didn't know how bad it was.

And they put me in the back of the ambulance and then it cuts to black.

- You did not feel pain in that moment?

- No, in that moment I think you have shock, you have adrenaline and then the extent of the fire burned a lot of my nerve endings, on my skin throughout my whole body.

I mean, the final tally was 90% burn, 75% being third degree, and the third degree burn is going all the way down, through your epidermis, through your skin.

And so that was really where the initial, no feeling, no nothing.

I was asleep.

I was in a medically induced coma, so it wasn't anything I was worried about.

But both sides of our family, grandparents, friends, family, everybody drove to Augusta, Georgia to the burn center down there and spent the holidays there and just were praying and hoping things were getting better.

- [Host] His dad was coming home from serving and the doctor's goal was to keep him alive until he got there.

- Their main goal was to keep me alive long enough so my dad could see me.

And he has to, after not seeing me and my brothers and my mom and our family for nine months has to see his son completely wrapped, head to toe in bandages, sitting there on essentially life support.

- Do you think that gave you some of your power to keep going?

Is when you woke up and did see your dad?

- I think just waking up first and foremost, right?

Just being able to wake up and I didn't know how difficult it would be, obviously.

But the initial spark was just the fact that I was here.

- Let's walk our viewers back through the stats that your parents were given.

What was your condition when you were admitted?

- So I was in 90% burn, 75% being third degree.

And on the initial night, and I don't know for how long, but I was given a 1% chance of survival.

They'd go through and do all the scans.

It's like my lungs were fine, my internal organs didn't suffer that smoke damage.

And so that's huge, right?

The skin, you have to hope will heal.

They had skin grafts and all sorts of new technology at the time that allowed us to graft larger areas than you could, but you're still facing the risk of infection.

Anybody that's in a hospital, it's usually not the thing that could kill them.

It's getting pneumonia, it's getting, an infection or some of these other things 'cause your body's fighting so much.

- How many days were you in the induced coma?

- It was about three months.

It was about three months.

- Three Months!

- It's bizarre even saying it, but it's like you go to sleep in the back of an ambulance and you woke up.

And the only reason why I knew time had passed is because we had Super Bowl posters and Valentine's Day stuff all over the room.

So I was like, "How is it February?"

Like it was just, I hadn't even seen Christmas yet.

- But your parents say, like when they were talking to you, they could see your vitals change?

- Yeah, they could.

They could see and that was just- - Oh, did that give them hope?

- Yeah, that was what they needed.

'Cause even when they brought me outta the medically induced coma, I was still on a ventilator for I think another couple weeks.

So that was probably the most difficult time for me because you're trying to figure out what's going on or what happened, but you can't talk.

- What was it like when you heard for the first time sitting there all bandaged up, this is what your new reality is.

Could you process that as a 13-year-old?

- I honestly, I don't think I really could, right?

I think every time they told me something like that, it was, it was like, "No way that's true.

No way that could happen."

I just always questioned why couldn't I do these things and what could I do to try to change that narrative and that situation.

And over time, that got to become my norm, you know?

And for me it was, what was the greater goal?

Getting back out and playing sports, getting my life back.

That was always gonna outweigh the little bit of pain or the massive amount of pain that I was feeling.

I could gut that up and deal with that, but I wanted to be back to normal.

- How long did it take to start making these changes that they said were not possible?

- It took a couple of weeks just to like, sit up, and then it took a couple more weeks to be able to put pressure on my feet.

But around mid-March, I was able to actually stand and take a step.

And for me, again, it was incredibly painful.

There's no way around that.

I was very uncomfortable.

Relearning that was bizarre 'cause I knew how to walk, but my body did not match up with how my mind was.

And every time you made a little bit of progress, like it made you so excited and so happy.

And like, that was the feeling that I kept chasing day in and day out.

I had to change my focus from not what I lost, but what I'm starting to gain.

And that progress and that momentum ended up rolling us to walking outta the hospital in like three months.

We were supposed to be there nine to 12 months, I was out in May.

And so that was a massive, massive change.

- When did they lift the band of like 1% chance?

Was that like midway through when you were still in the coma that they were like, "Okay, he's gonna make it"?

- Yeah, so I think after I don't know, probably a week or two again, you always were in fear of infection at any point could have really changed the outcome.

But they keep you in that medically induced coma because of the amount of surgeries that I had to go through.

- How many surgeries did you go through?

- At that time, I probably went through 60 to 70 in that couple of month period.

- Wow.

- And there was this stuff called CEAs, which is this synthetically grown skin.

My arms and my legs are synthetic skin.

It is like really fake, not fake skin, it's my own, but it's, yeah, grown in a lab.

- [Host] Before all this happened and they had rebuilt your face, did you have the opportunity to see what your current state was?

- So the first time I actually saw my face was just opening up a laptop to like watch a movie.

And I saw the reflection and it put me to tears.

And for probably six, seven months, maybe even a year, like I would brush my teeth in the shower, I would get ready in front of anything but a mirror.

So I would, I just knew, it was tough for me to see.

- Could you process that as a 13-year-old?

- I honestly, I don't think you, I really could.

You struggle with going out in the world and people are staring at you and people are asking you what happened.

And obviously you stand out.

But after time had gone on, I understood how powerful that that mindset is.

I think as a kid you don't understand like you think everybody's like you or similar to you.

It wasn't the fact that I had this superpower or super motivation or anything else like that.

It was just like I had hope and I had belief in a time where I probably shouldn't, or most people probably wouldn't.

And that was just the initial building block.

But I think for me, in my profession, it is interesting, right?

Because you are a motivator.

I do speaking, this is like my job, but that doesn't mean that I don't need other people's input.

I don't need other people to help lift me up at times.

And what I've learned from all of my experiences is how important having people in your life are, right?

It's like, I know there was no struggle or no difficulty I could have gone through and gone to the other side without my family, without my friends, without my loved ones because that was the strength that I needed in my darkest moments.

- Are you scared of fires?

- I'm not actually, I think I struggle with sometimes lighting the grill every now and again.

You don't like, like the big whoosh.

My book title, stuff that I talk about, I lean heavy into the fire stuff because again, I embrace it, it's part of who I am.

- [Host] Connor is a reminder to keep going, one foot in front of the other, Similar to his time in recovery when he learned how to walk again, but didn't stop there, he went on to play high school and division one collegiate lacrosse.

Now he uses his story to inspire folks all around the nation through his speaking.

- I use the phrasing when I'm speaking, as being the hottest in the room, right?

It's not about what you look like, but it's about that fire inside of you that's burning outward, right?

And every single one of us has that ability to light up a room in a positive way.

And so for me, when people are staring at me, it's like, "Yeah, I know I look good."

Me and Brad Pitt could go toe to toe.

Like, that's gotta be the mindset.

- [Host] (laughs) I love that!

- That's gotta be the mindset!

- Thank you so much for coming on.

- Oh, thank you so much for having me.

- [Host] Through it all, he carved out a lifelong mantra of mental resilience and toughness forged from the years of dealing with the long journey back from his lowest point of just surviving.

He recently wrote a book on this story.

Connor sees his scars as a symbol of survival rather than wounds of a victim.

(gentle music plays) - I always want to people to depend on me for a good solid finish each and every race week.

There's failures that you learn from, there's successes that have their point that you learn, but yet it's just repetition and being able to sit on top of your game.

- [Host] NASCAR was founded in 1949 and still holds nearly 1500 races across the country today.

We caught up with some of the drivers in our home market, and it was the first ever street race contested in the NASCAR Cup series.

Let's check out this moment in time.

- So I grew up driving tractors, golf carts, four-wheelers, everything from the time I could somehow reach the pedals, stand up, drive around the farm.

So I knew my way around the steering wheel of pedals, but to drive it to the limit, it was a hobby until I turned 18 and then we decided to look at our special racing.

- Where we kind of have a gentleman's agreement that we're gonna race each other hard, and there's a limit to that, obviously.

But that's just, that's how it goes.

And that's part of sports.

- There's only one winner for 35 losers every week.

So you have a one in 36 chance of winning.

- But it's the hardest score in the world to me.

And when you succeed in it, it's something really special and you have to make time to enjoy it.

And then after that, it's back to work.

- This is really top to win cup races.

So we're proud we were able to win in Nashville, but the sport moves on and it's a new week, and a new venue totally for our entire sport.

(upbeat music) - So what I'm gonna have you do, is make a circle around each other.

And so I was a high-end luxury wedding photographer.

I was really on the up and up when I got my diagnosis.

I had just shot a celebrity wedding, my images had been in magazines specifically, a couple months earlier, were in "People" magazine.

I had shot a "Women's World" cover.

So I was living my dream.

I was getting everything I wanted from, having this big love for photography.

- [Host] We first learned about Robyn's story back in 2019.

At that point, she was still wrapping her head around her new norm.

Her daughter was still a toddler, and life was changing fast.

This disease was stealing her livelihood, but not her joy or future.

- And in 2013, I was diagnosed with a disease called retinitis pigmentosa.

And what retinitis pigmentosa does is it causes you to lose your vision.

So not ideal for a professional photographer.

But I noticed that I was starting to like bump into things or trip over things.

And like the biggest kind of red flag for me would be like if I was at the grocery store and I'd be pushing my cart and I turned my cart and it was like alarming that all of a sudden someone like, "Oh my gosh, where did you come from?"

And so I knew something wasn't right, like it just wasn't, something had switched in my vision and I didn't know what it was, but I just knew that something was off.

I woke up at 4:00 AM with a panic attack, like full-blown panic attack.

But in that moment, like right after I was able to calm myself, I kind of processed what was happening to me.

And that day I had a wedding that I was photographing.

And in that moment I realized like, today I get to do what I love, what I'm passionate about, and I need to be grateful for that.

And so, like, I made a choice in that moment to not sit and be resentful or spiteful about this diagnosis that I received.

But in turn, I wanted to be grateful that that day I was able to do what I loved.

- You hear people say, "This is the day my life changed."

How did you move forward after that day?

- It was, this disease is coming for me either way, and I didn't want, me sitting there feeling sorry for myself or being upset about it.

It doesn't change anything.

It doesn't make this disease go away.

It doesn't change the outcome.

We were told that because it was recessive.

So it was recessive in both my parents.

- Oh, interesting.

- So it wasn't, it's not anything my family knows about.

It's not something that I have relative.

Like this was something that like we were blindsided by.

It's an extremely rare disease and both of my parents were carriers.

And now I have this sense of urgency.

And for that, I almost look at this diagnosis as a blessing because so many people say like, "How would you live if you were diagnosed with cancer?

How would you live if you were told you only have five years to live?"

And I don't have those stipulations against me, but that is how I am choosing to live, I am living with a sense of urgency.

We decided that our family, we love to travel and we had decided to take a year long trip around the world.

So, it's important for me to do this now so I can like see and experience everything and document it the way that I want to now while I can.

Again, that's not to say in two years, five years, 10 years, I'm not going to travel anymore.

I just don't know what that looks like.

And so right now, we just want to live fully and just have this experience together and this time and live.

- [Host] She was about to embark on a year long trip with her daughter and husband.

However, this was not a vacation for R&R or a family getaway.

It was a trip of a lifetime that she envisioned, that is, while she still could see it for herself.

- We spent three months in Europe this summer.

My daughter, she thrives traveling, she loves it.

She's six and a half and has been to 30 countries already.

And I think just for us to have these like once in a lifetime experiences together and me being able to like watch her live these, that's like, I feel like I spend half my time enjoying it for myself and half my time, like seeing it through her eyes and like absorbing all of her excitement for everything new.

So yeah, we did three months in Europe.

We're about to take off for Mexico and South America in the fall.

And then after the new year we go to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Japan for five months.

I wanna shake people sometimes and say like, "Life is frail and it's fragile and it's beautiful and it needs to be celebrated" because we don't know what tomorrow, like what comes with tomorrow and whether it's traveling, whether it is picking up a hobby, learning a language, seeing an old friend.

Like do those things now.

Like you don't, don't have regrets.

Don't wait.

Like so many people, it's a waiting game.

I'm gonna do this when...

I'm gonna wait until like, don't, don't do that.

Like do it now because life is short and we get one shot at this.

- One shot.

People always say, "I would go back and tell my younger self this," but I wanna flip that on you.

2013 Robyn, after the diagnosis, seeing you today, what would she tell you?

- I think she would be proud of the decisions that I made.

I think she would be proud of how I chose to move forward.

She would say like, don't, don't be fearful.

It will all work out as it should.

- Well, you are quite the inspiration.

Thank you so much for coming on.

- Thank you so much for having me.

(gentle music) - And now to a character who-ville we all know.

See what I did there?

He actually helps usher in the holiday season and this time of year brings in the memories.

Let's take a look.

I am here with the Grinch.

- Hello!

- And it says who stole Christmas, but you're- - I I gave it back, nobody remembers the end of my autobiography, I gave it back and then my heart grew and I became a nice person.

So, but I'm still, I'm figuring out the nice part.

I haven't had much practice at it.

- [Host] Since the 1950s, the story of how the Grinch stole Christmas has been making its way into homes.

First by a book, then a TV show, a movie, and now even a play.

We caught up with our green friend to hear about his unique moment in time.

What is the difference from the movie to the play that we're gonna see?

- I mean it's the same general basic story.

- You didn't change the idea.

- We're gonna have the classics, it's all gonna go great.

But ours is like, if the book came alive on stage.

We do everything from the color schemes, it's black and white and pink and red if you read the original book.

And of course I'm my signature green.

- Yes.

- And it's just the wonderful story of me at all times.

Stealing Christmas, being nice, giving it back, all the great stuff.

- You are definitely the star today.

- Well thank you so much.

- Everybody needs to see you.

- Thank you, thank you.

I'm usually the star wherever I go.

- Absolutely.

- That's kind of my new thing, now that I'm nicer, I kind of go to the comedy route 'cause you can't be too serious and nice looking like this.

I try to be mother of Theresa once for a day, it was very uncomfortable.

- Very hard.

- Did not go well.

But head to hospitals, I've gone to afterschool programs, the library, zoos.

I like to read the book to the kids, bring a little joy into their life wherever I can because who doesn't wanna make fun of this guy?

- Now I have to ask because plays, they follow the script.

- Absolutely.

- As we said, you know how it ends in the movie, but do you add your own humor to it?

- Of course I add my own humor!

Of course!

We put our own little twists and turns on it.

We had all of our songs, it's a big musical spectacular Broadway show that we're bringing here to Chicago.

- And last question, is this a dream come true for you?

- Absolutely!

To be celebrated, eight times a week while everyone's screaming, chants my name and claps for me?

It's the best dream in the world!

- Thanks.

Can I give you a hug?

- Abso- - And your belly?

- Sure, sure, sure.

Absolutely.

- Today's topic?

Help provide a captivating and informative exploration of defining moments that have left an indelible mark on our collective history.

Remember, your story matters.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] The "Whitney Reynolds Show" is made possible by Simple Modern, drinkware with unique styles for adults and kids.

Take us with you.

Kevin O'Connor Law Firm.

When it comes to your injuries, we take it personally.

Together at Peace, a foundation with a mission to generate financial support for hospitals, schools, and many charities that provide compassionate bereavement care and foster spiritual resilience.

We are here to inspire tangible moments and share the light of loved ones who have passed away, always doing good in their honor.

Children's Learning Place.

A school for the earliest learners dedicated to aiding every child in uncovering the power of learning.

Our curriculum is centered around empowering young students with the confidence to overcome present and future challenges to promote a brighter future for our youth and community.

The Adventures of the Harry Moon book series for kids that focuses on becoming your best self with themes of friends, anti-bullying and responsibility at harrymoon.org Kevin Kelly, Joe Perillo.com.

Hi-Five Sports, Fumee Claire, Respiratory Health Association, Hearing Health Center, Mike Dyer with Edward Jones.

- [Host] Coming up on the Whitney Reynolds Show's current season.

- When Miguel booked Hamilton, it was the same week our daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy.

And we moved to Chicago and within a week of being here, she has pneumonia and she ends up with a G tube in her nose.

So these events were all happening at the same time.

- I have airborne allergies, chemical allergies, I'm pretty much allergic to the world and this is how I survive.

People look at my story and they go, "Wow, you're allergic to so much, how do you do it?"

And it's like, I don't really look at my problems.

I kind of go, "Okay, this is what you have.

Great.

Now go change the world."

- Boop is basically about Betty Boop.

She comes to the real world and she's trying to find something that she feels like she's missing in life.

And she meets these people along the way that help her discover what it is she's missing.

Hint.

Hint.

- Yeah.

(chuckles) - She meets Tricia, who I play in Boop the Musical, and we both learn many things from each other.

- [Host] Oh, so she's on this road of self discovery.

- Exactly.

- And you also personally have been on this road of self-discovery.

At a young age, you actually had a health scare.

- Exactly.

So when I was four years old, I had double pneumonia and I also went into septic shock.

- [Host] Want to stay connected to all things Whitney Reynolds?

Well follow us on social media and you'll get exclusive content and updates from the show.

All episodes are available for streaming anytime.

- [Kids] I love me!

(laughter) (gentle music)