Traveling after a stroke, they told me i should forget it.
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2026-03-29
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Off we GO! Karin & Paul
Karin and I, Paul, came to motorcycle travel later in life. Karin had built a career as a firefighter, while I worked as a professional musician. At one point, Karin was even my guitar student. A mutual friend—at the time—brought us together, and we quickly discovered a shared passion for riding motorcycles and traveling. That’s where we truly connected.
From there, everything moved naturally. We started a relationship, made a simple plan, and said: “Off we go!”
That plan was as straightforward as it gets: ride from the Netherlands to Kraków, Poland, to eat pork knuckles at a restaurant we already knew. You can see how that trip went on YouTube—but that’s not what this story is about.
This is.
On October 23, 2022, after a routine morning meeting, I suddenly started feeling unwell. Within minutes, things got worse. A colleague called for medical assistance, and I was taken to the hospital. There, I was diagnosed with a stroke near the brainstem.
The hospital team did an incredible job. After a few days, I was allowed to go home with strict instructions to take it easy. I was recovering well and already starting to think about returning to work soon.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Three weeks after the first stroke, I suffered another one—and this time, it was serious.
The left side of my body was heavily affected. I had no feeling in my left hand. Speaking became difficult. Walking was a challenge. Even keeping my thoughts together didn’t really work anymore. It was clear: this was bad.
Caregivers told me I should forget about ever riding a motorcycle again.
But Paul refused to accept that.
Karin pushed me—not harshly, but with belief. She encouraged me to focus on what was still possible. And slowly, very small things became possible again. The first victory, as silly as it may sound, was getting out of bed and making it to the toilet in my hospital room… to vape. (Yes—I know, not my proudest moment.)
From there, progress came step by step.
With a lot of hard work—and incredible support from the rehabilitation team, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and many others—I began to recover. Not everything came back the way it was. I still struggle with overstimulation, concentration, and sometimes with regulating my emotions. The feeling in my hand isn’t perfect either, but it works.
And that’s enough.
Looking back, we truly believe that without our motorcycles—and without our shared love for traveling and for each other—I might never have found the strength to push this far.
But we did.
Since then, we’ve ridden through 24 countries, covered over 50,000 kilometers, and created countless unforgettable memories. And we’re not done yet. Right now, we’re planning a 10,000-kilometer journey through the Baltics, Finland, and Scandinavia. We are telling you this story for the only reason what riding a bike and travelling can mean and how it can motivate to overcome anything.
We’re still riding.
We’re still exploring.
We’re still doing what we love.
https://www.youtube.com/@OffweGoMoto/
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