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
Renata has 5 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 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 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
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
I grew up in a family where multiple family members over many generations are impacted with BCM. My wife and I now live in Erie, Pa where we raised our family of 2 children.
I held career positions through the 80’s and 90’s before starting my own networking consulting company in the late 90’s. I retired a few years ago and enjoy many hobbies and activities including cross country skiing, golf, cycling, kayaking, and hiking. I serve on the Board of Directors for The Sight Center of Northwestern Pennsylvania that deals with vision loss and blindness.
