Rotorua woman Amy Van Schadewijk is classed as legally blind. She will be participating in the 2026 Born to Adapt community trail event in the Redwoods Forest on February 7. Photo / Megan Wilson
Rotorua woman Amy Van Schadewijk is classed as legally blind. She will be participating in the 2026 Born to Adapt community trail event in the Redwoods Forest on February 7. Photo / Megan Wilson
Rotorua woman Amy Van Schadewijk says her sight is “like a broken camera”.
The 43-year-old was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 8 – a condition where vision loss is caused by the breakdown and loss of cells in the retina.
She was classed as legally blind atage 15.
While daily life is “very challenging”, Van Schadewijk says she does not let her condition stop her from doing the things she loves – competing in marathons, volunteering at the SPCA and being part of “mainstream life”.
Her next race will be Born to Adapt on February 7 – a community trail walking and running event in Rotorua’s Redwoods Forest.
She had volunteered for the Rotorua SPCA for 16 years as a “cat socialiser”.
“I love it because I love animals.”
Matthew Bryson, the national peer support and events co-ordinator for Peke Waihanga Artificial Limb Service, using a tether to guide Rotorua woman Amy Van Schadewijk, who is legally blind. Photo / Megan Wilson
Van Schadewijk said she had completed the full Rotorua Marathon twice and several half-marathons in Rotorua, Auckland and Taupō.
The self-described “race walker” said her fastest time for a half-marathon was three hours, nine minutes.
During the races, she would be guided with a tether. She trained with a cane.
Van Schadewijk said she would be assisted by a guide to do Born to Adapt’s 7.5km track.
“I really like the forest and doing these type of things ... ”
Van Schadewijk said she wanted to raise awareness that blindness was different for everyone.
“But we’re perceived as not being able to do anything, that we can’t cook or work or even attempt doing things like marathons ... but we actually can.
“We’re all individual people exactly like everybody else, it’s just one part of our body doesn’t work, which is our eyes.”
She said people perceived this as “the whole person not functioning”.
“We can definitely do anything we put our minds to.
“You just feel like you’re everybody else, even though you’re always adapting.”
Matthew Bryson, the national peer support and events co-ordinator for Peke Waihanga Artificial Limb Service, and Rotorua woman Amy Van Schadewijk, who is classed as legally blind. Photo / Megan Wilson
Matthew Bryson, the national peer support and events co-ordinator for Peke Waihanga Artificial Limb Service, said about 100 people had registered so far.
Bryson said the second year’s event doubled in numbers “and we’ve just got to keep the momentum going”.
“Last year was amazing the amount of people that came – the young families, the different people with disabilities, the able-bodied people. It was a huge mixture and variety and bringing all those people together was very heartwarming.”
There would be a 1km wheelchair accessible track, a 1.7km loop track which could be done as many times as participants wanted, and a 7.5km loop track which people could do once or twice.
Bryson said a piece of equipment called a “trail rider” would be available for people who could not walk or mobilise.
“We’re super excited.”
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
