A Stroke of Luck Hardcover – December 18, 2025

Some people dream of leading an exciting life, and some make it happen. Robert Dempewolf made choices that were certainly questionable, but they led to adventures that made his life interesting, to say the least. Not every hunting trip with friends turns into a Deliverance story of running for your life from moonshiners in the Deep South. Not everyone decides to drive their jeep through a Midwest snowstorm with a canvas top a barely functioning heater. Not every smuggler in the Cocaine Cowboys days in Miami, Florida, carried a gym bag of cocaine into the same hotel where the state police were holding a convention. Not every convict got to share a cell with a notorious mob hitman whose eyes threatened to kill him day after day. However, it led to another adventure.Becoming a gym rat, bodybuilder, and sixth-degree black belt, Robert Dempewolf lived a wild and free life where being tough was a requirement. He traveled across Africa on foot, swam in the Artic and Antarctic oceans, and opened his own martial arts studio inside his gym on the Oregon Coast. Robert had it all. Then, one day, everything unexpectedly changed. He had a stroke that left him struggling to comprehend, speak and read.Alone, feeling helpless and contemplating ending it all, a stroke of luck inspired him to share his life’s journey, one thrilling chapter at a time. Barely able to peck at a computer key, he worked with the same driven determination that had propelled him to become an Army Ranger years before. For ten years, he has been working on this book, steadily typing a bit faster, thinking more clearly, and learning to speak and read. Now, he’s back to instructing martial arts in his gym. He began writing with a vision to regain his life and inspire others who feel as hopeless as he once did after experiencing a debilitating stroke. The adventures in this book are not just entertaining, humorous, and exciting; they also serve as a cautionary tale of what…or in some cases, what not to do. Read more