After enduring a severe fungal eye infection that caused temporary blindness, Amanda Cromhout healed and vowed to pursue a cause that would seek to restore the vision of those most in need in underserved Eastern Cape communities.
Cape Town, South Africa (19 May 2025) – It has been over three years since Amanda Cromhout’s life took a scary and devastating turn when she was unexpectedly diagnosed with fusarium keratitis (a serious fungal infection of the cornea), leaving her not just in pain but severely affecting her eyesight too.
“My world changed dramatically for an initial three months of absolute fear, illness and excruciating pain. Then for the following 18 months, I was temporarily blind in my right eye,” Amanda shares in a video.
However, through expert treatment, she was healed and has since made it her personal mission to support the healing of other desperate individuals who, too, find themselves in the dark and in need of restored sight.
“Today I am privileged to see ‘well enough’ out of both eyes and my life is back to an amazing ‘normal’.”
Through her non-profit organisation, Blind Loyalty, founded on the back of her own personal illness, Amanda plays a significant role in the funding of vital cataract and corneal transplant surgeries, especially in underserved communities in the Eastern Cape.
“Every month in the Eastern Cape, there is a surgery day for rapid cataract surgeries, where approximately 25 patients who are either bilaterally blind or blind in one eye get their blindness reversed through funding from Blind Loyalty to Grace Vision,” Amanda explains.
For an elderly grandmother raising young children in her household or a father who works hard as the main breadwinner of his family, unexpected blindness is tragic, to say the least.
As part of her continued efforts to raise awareness and funds for those experiencing curable blindness, Amanda, as well as other running communities around the world, have run various races to support Blind Loyalty’s mission to change the lives of so many people who would otherwise be left blind and suffering.
More recently, Amanda has been training for her ninth Comrades Marathon, which she will be running to reverse blindness.
“I am not confused at all about why I am lining up for my ninth Comrades run on 8 June. To raise funds to reverse blindness,” Amanda reiterates.
She invites the greater public to pledge any amount to Blind Loyalty as she continues her compassionate mission. To make a pledge, visit the fundraising campaign here.
Sources: Amanda Cromhout
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