The Book of Mike — A Documentary Film

The Story

A life rewritten — on his own terms.

At 45, Mike Willis — a successful orthopedic surgeon and lifelong outdoorsman — suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body. The life he had built around physical mastery and the outdoors was abruptly rewritten.

Mike has refused to leave the water behind. Three years ago, Mike met Capt. Adam Lawson — a local fly fishing guide in Charleston, South Carolina. Together they invent and refine the adaptive techniques that put Mike back on the bow of the skiff, searching for redfish during the summer flood tides. For Mike — this is the recovery.

The film is a quiet, observational portrait of resilience, friendship, and the hunt for the Lowcountry's most revered fish.

Why This, Why Now

A film for a much larger audience than fly fishing.

~800,000

Americans suffer a stroke each year, with roughly 120,000 of those cases occurring before the age of 50. Younger stroke survivors face unique mental health challenges, with studies indicating that up to 12% of stroke survivors may experience suicidal ideation, and younger individuals showing particularly high rates of depression and anxiety.

Mike's story belongs to a much larger audience — adaptive athletes, stroke survivors and their families, and the much bigger group of people who simply respond to a well-told story about getting back up.

Adaptive outdoor athletes are rarely portrayed without a layer of inspiration-narrative on top. We're deliberately avoiding that. This is a film about two men, a boat, and the pursuit of the Lowcountry's most revered fish. The disability is part of Mike's life, not its headline.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Team

Stephen Humphreys

Director · Producer

Stephen is a filmmaker born and raised in the waterways of Charleston, SC. His knack for narrative-driven story has led him to collaborate with leading players in the adventure-doc world, including three feature documentaries with Teton Gravity Research.

Capt. Adam Lawson

Producer

Adam has been guiding and teaching the art of fly fishing since 2008 and has been very fortunate to have done so in beautiful areas such as Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska, Montana, Florida, Tennessee, the Bahamas and South Carolina.

Director's Statement

I was drawn into the film industry through story. Since then, all I've ever wanted to do was create something that could impact an audience the way that film had impacted me — emotionally, and to the core.

My path has taken many twists and turns, and I believe that for the past 6 years I have been preparing for a story to tell. Not a story to create — but a real, living story that I would be able to help illuminate and share with the world. I am incredibly grateful that the story finally arrived through Mike and Adam.

This is a story that does not need embellishment, only a visual treatment that flows parallel with the highs and lows of Mike's story. Set in the waterways of my hometown, the imagery combined with Mike's narrative will leave the audience feeling engaged, emotional, yet at ease.

Nearly 800,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke every year. Most of these are unexpected. Mike's story is one of resilience, determination, and the will to not concede.

Life goes on — and we must make an effort to go on living.

Stephen Humphreys · Director

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