About Us

BCM Families Foundation is a non-profit organization incorporated in May 2014 in USA, in the state of Delaware, by families affected by Blue Cone Monochromacy (BCM).
BCM Families Foundation is a tax-exempt charity under IRS Code, Section 501(c)(3) (for the IRS determination letter please click here).

Mission

The mission of BCM Families Foundation is to eradicate Blue Cone Monochromacy by supporting the most promising biomedical and scientific research that will ultimately lead to a cure.

Renata Sarno

Ph.D., President BCM Families Foundation

Renata has 4 relatives with BCM. In 1992 she earned a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, then worked in research about supercomputing and sub-nuclear physics until 1994. From 1994 to 2008 she and 3 other shareholders founded a web company, venere.com, that she sold to Expedia in 2008. Dr. Sarno created a BCM Families website that has developed international contact among families coping with Blue Cone Monochromacy (BCM) and founded the BCM Families Foundation. She supports significance research to lead to an understanding of the physiology and genetics of BCM.

Kay McCrary

Kay McCrary

Ed.D., Secretary BCM Families Foundation

Kay whose father, uncle, great-uncle, and 4 male paternal cousins, have BCM, is now grandmother to 3 cherished boys who are legally blind due to BCM. Kay is highly motivated to improve the lives of all males with BCM.
She retired after 30 years as Director of Patient and Family Education at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. She authored four books that explain schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar affective disorder in layman’s language and teach recovery strategies to patients and their involved families. Her workbooks have been translated into 28 different languages.

Barbara Wade Sergent

Barbara Wade Sergent

MBA, Treasurer BCM Families Foundation

Barbara holds an MBA from Cleveland State University and held various management positions in the banking industry until she put her career on hold to raise her five children. Mrs. Sergent is also the founder of WadeSergent Consulting, LLC through which she has provided project management services for some of the largest banking institutions in the United States and globally. Mrs. Sergent’s father, son, nephew, cousins and several uncles have BCM. Her goals are to improve the lives of those affected with BCM and find a cure for BCM.

Marylee Dilling Mohn

MD, Director & Ambassador BCM Families Foundation

Marylee’s son, father, and two cousins have BCM. Like most affected families, the correct diagnosis wasn’t made until 2017 when her son was diagnosed by genetic testing.

She is an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill and Jefferson Medical College and completed residency at Baylor College of Medicine. Marylee is a double board certified internist and pediatrician and owns a direct primary care practice in New York City, where she lives with her husband and son.

Marylee strives to build awareness of BCM amongst medical professionals and to help advance a safe and effective cure for BCM.

Ned Reade

Director BCM Families Foundation

I grew up in a family where multiple family members were impacted with BCM. An older brother, several uncles, many cousins, and unknown numbers of carriers, but not all understanding what the eye problem we all had was all about.
I was fortunate to have a mother and very accommodating school principal and teachers that worked with my brother and myself to assure we received as much assistance as was really available in the 60’s. I graduated from high school and went on to earn a BS in Business Administration. I held several retail store management positions in the years following and my wife and I moved several times in our first years of marriage before settling down with our 2 children in Erie, Pa.
I took a position in computer sales at a retail computer store in the early 80’s which shortly afterward became an outside sales position as the market demands changed. As an outside sales rep I depended on public transportation for all my client appointments and became efficient at maneuvering my way through and around our city on local busses. Learning schedules, transfers, and time estimates was essential to being successful in keeping up with the demands of this position along with the rapidly changing technology landscape through this period.
As the market changed through the 90’s, I started a technology consulting firm along with a business partner. We developed clients in the region and grew the business over the next 20 years to include offices in 3 cities, 30 employees, and gross sales far exceeding our expectations. A few years ago I sold my share in the business and retired.
I enjoy many hobbies and outdoor activities including cross country skiing, golf, cycling, kayaking, and hiking. I serve on the Board of Directors for The Sight Center of Northwestern Pennsylvania where I serve to help others deal with vision loss and blindness. My daughter and grand daughter are both BCM carriers so my interest in ongoing research and development extends to the generations to come.