Jay Leno to Appear at Virtual ‘Courage Rising’ Premiere for Burn Survivors

Two years after surviving serious burns, Jay Leno is honoring the courage of fellow burn survivors.

The Emmy Award winner will appear at the Sept. 7 digital premiere of Courage Rising, a documentary about eight burn survivors climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Valleywise Health Foundation.

Courage Rising follows eight burn patients treated at Valleywise’s Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center. The film documents their excruciating road to recovery and their epic seven-day climb up the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain. Through this journey, they discover the true, triumphant power of the human spirit and offer gratitude to the people and place that saved their lives.

For Leno, the documentary’s subject holds special significance. He suffered significant burns to his face, hands, and chest when a gasoline fire broke out at his Burbank garage in November 2022. The comedian was released from Grossman Burn Center 10 days later after undergoing two surgeries and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“On behalf of Team Courage Rising climbers and Valleywise Health Foundation, we are so grateful to KINO and all the supporters who will change the lives of burn and trauma survivors by watching this film,” said Pam Stelzer, former Valleywise Health Foundation Board Vice Chair. “Those of us who witnessed the courage and strength of these eight true heroes alongside their medical team were forever changed by this journey.”

The virtual screening, set for Sept. 7 at 6 pm PT, will be followed by a live Q&A session with burn survivors Cody Byrns, John Pendleton, Aleema Ali, Tonya Meisenbach, and J.R. Martinez. Tickets are available at KINO.

Brit MacRae, CMO and co-founder of KINO, said, “We are deeply honored to host the world premiere of Courage Rising on KINO. This documentary is a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit, capturing not just a physical journey, but an emotional and transformative one. Given Jay Leno’s deep personal connection to this cause, we are incredibly grateful for his participation in this digital premiere. We can’t wait to bring this story to our audience and offer them the chance to engage with the incredible real-life survivors.”

Source: Deadline