MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin veteran recently wrote a book detailing his story of resilience.

Nearly 30 years ago, Luther Williams lost his eyesight. While life hasn’t always been easy for him, he says it’s been one worth living. When asked what it was like for him to lose his eyesight, he said it was a dark time.

“Oh lord,” Williams said. “Terrible.”

He lost his eyesight and had to re-learn everything he once knew how to do. Williams was a firefighter in the Air Force, so he knew a thing or two about resilience. He also credits his success in life to his faith.

“Always believe in God,” he said. “Always believe that He will give you the idea you are trying to do.”

His idea was to write a book about his experience of losing his eyesight and how to manage and never give up. He said he has managed with the help of his wife Rosie and his son Andra.

Andra Williams helped him write the book “The Dark Years of my Life”.

“If someone has a passion and really wants to accomplish a goal,” Andra Williams said. “To be able to help people do that is a reward in itself.”

The two worked together to document his life and put it all into one book. They did a question-and-answer style so his son could document his answers and hopefully share inspiration to others dealing with struggles in life and how to overcome them.

“They would give me questions and I would give answers, which is in the book. About how you can do what you want to do when you believe in yourself and God,” Williams said.

For his wife Rosie, who’s been by his side for decades, she said it’s been special to see him accomplish yet another milestone in life.

“People can read it. And I am proud of him,” Rosie Williams said.

Williams has been able to walk through life with a different perspective, relying on his other senses, his family, and most important, his faith.​