HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 9, 2023 – High Point University’s freshman class was recently inspired by alumnus Connor McKemey, a motivational speaker, mentor and coach who openly shares his story of surviving a life-threatening burn.
McKemey shared the story he relates in his new book, “Life Ignited: A Hopeful Journey, Sparked by Fire” with HPU students at the Nido and Mariana Qubein Conference Center.
In a split second just days before Christmas in 2008, McKemey went from being an active, athletic 13-year-old whose life revolved around school, sports and family to being engulfed in flames from a propane tank explosion in his Fort Mill, South Carolina, backyard. Passing out in the ambulance, he woke up three months later from a medically induced coma to discover that nearly 90 percent of his body had been burned.
Defying the grim 1 percent chance of survival doctors gave him, the young teenager tapped into his inner strength to rebuild his life. From coming to grips with what happened — and his drastically changed appearance — to coping with the pain of rehabilitation and more than 100 surgeries, he faced adversity without losing sight of his dreams.
“He decided that would not define his life,” said HPU President Nido Qubein. “He decided to live, and he was determined his future would be filled with success and framed with significance. Through it all, he carved out a lifelong mantra of mental resilience from years of dealing with a long journey back from the lowest possible point of just surviving to making his life matter.”
McKemey resumed playing sports in high school and toured HPU’s campus, which he noticed while traveling between his home and Chapel Hill for medical treatments. His unwavering passion to play Division I lacrosse led to an article in USA Lacrosse Magazine and a connection with Jon Torpey, HPU men’s lacrosse coach who invited him to join the team as a manager. McKemey held that role for three years before he earned a roster spot as a senior in 2015. He appeared in three games that year and went on to become an assistant coach and director of operations for HPU men’s lacrosse.
“What I take ownership over are the things we can control,” McKemey said. “For me, it’s my mind, my heart and a little fire in my belly — that every single one of us have. The only predictable thing about life is its unpredictability. When we understand that, we have tools in every single one of us to not just deal with this stuff but to combat it and thrive against it. You will see you can do amazing things.”
Today, McKemey is a full-time motivational speaker and CEO of his own company, MAC Mentality, which stands for motivation, attitude and courage. He speaks to audiences worldwide, showing others that they, too, can persevere in the face of adversity and come through excruciating challenges with a profound sense of self-acceptance.
“Anytime we’re hit with adversity and challenges in our life, our first reaction initially is to feel sad, and that’s perfectly OK,” said McKemey. “How we respond to those bad things is always going to define what our life looks like. I could have easily stayed in perpetual sadness, and no one would have faulted me for feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t move, walk, and I lost a couple of fingers or my body was in a completely different shape than it was before. But I still had a choice. As long as we have a beat in our chest, air in our lungs and a little fire inside of us, we have a choice to rise up from that pain.”
Maintaining motivation over a long period of time to pursue a dream, as McKemey did, may feel impossible at moments. He advised students to:
- Focus on what you can do.
- Break your goal into smaller, attainable steps.
- Control how you treat other people.
“When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening,” said McKemey. “That’s where your power is. Believe in yourself, in each other and that things can get better.”