Neil Francis turns life around after stroke by caddying at golf club A high-flying business executive who lost his ability to speak when he had a stroke has written a book about turning his life around. Neil Francis, from North Berwick, had to quit his job and learn to read and write again after suffering a stroke caused by a blood clot in his leg when he was 41. He has now put pen to paper to document his road to recovery through caddying at his local golf club. As well as losing his ability to speak, he suffered the loss of a large part of his long term memory which forced him to resign. He said: "For a while I didn't think I would do anything worthwhile again because when you can't really speak, when you can't read, when you are emotionally a wreck, seeing yourself doing anything else, you just think, 'what on earth am I going to do?'" It took Mr Francis years to regain his ability to communicate but with hard work he did. He said he realised that he would have to adapt to what he was able to do, so he decided to try caddying. He has now written a book called 'Changing Course from CEO to Caddy' to show how anyone, including stroke victims, can turn their lives around. Mr Francis has now been working at the North Berwick golf club for more than four years. Those around him say it has transformed his life. Friend Mike Maher said: "It is wonderful to see him back again and like the old Neil because he was always such an energetic, brilliant, cheerful character. He has gained his confidence, he is able to speak to anyone, goes out, communicates very well, he is part of a team. I don't think he can actually see his illness now; it is gone. Mr Francis said he hopes his journey to recovery can now inspire others to overcome their own obstacles in life. He added: "I get so much more enjoyment now doing things I just didn't think I would be doing."