Red lights serve as a marker for those awaiting medical aid

Jimmy Bryant is on a mission to shine a light — a red light — on a problem.

He recently founded the nonprofit Lights 4 Love. The goal is simple: Give red light bulbs to people with health problems. Recipients can screw the bulbs into their porch light sockets. The red light acts as a beacon for emergency responders or others to assist the person in need.

The idea for Lights 4 Love began as a necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention kind of thing.

Ten years ago, Bryant, then 48 and living in New Jersey, experienced a coughing episode so severe that he momentarily blacked out and nearly drove into a ditch. Even though the episode included spitting up blood, he shrugged it off.

“You know how guys are about (going to see) doctors,” he said.

Six years later, Bryant could no longer ignore his health. He tried to climb a flight of stairs and had such a rough time that he was admitted to a hospital.

A battery of tests was run. The diagnosis: stage three emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“Things kind of made sense,” he said. “Two plus two became four. I said to myself, ‘You smoked for 35 years. What did you expect?’ ”

Three years ago, he moved to Las Vegas. Bryant’s condo complex has multiple buildings. They have numbered signs, but branches and parking covers can obscure them. When he called 911, emergency medical technicians arrived at his complex but spent time trying to find his unit.

Bryant has been in and out of the hospital frequently. “Sometimes, I’d make it 30 days, sometimes 45,” he said.

Each time the ambulance arrived, he’d see it roaming the complex, trying to locate him. His doctor recommended home hospice. Bryant’s emphysema was at stage four.

Bryant signed up with Nathan Adelson Hospice. He soon had a plethora of support people coming to his condo: hospice doctors, nurses, an oxygen supplier, pharmacy representatives, Meals on Wheels volunteers and others. Everyone had difficulty finding his condo.

Bryant solved the problem by installing a red light on his porch. All he had to do was tell people to look for it.

“Everyone could find my place, day or night,” he said.

Bryant knew others could benefit from having red lights. In November 2012, he launched Lights 4 Love. The logo features a font similar to neon lights. Through his nonprofit, he gives away the 60-watt bulbs free. To date, he has handed out more than 300.

Nathan Adelson Hospice, 3150 N. Tenaya Way, gives the bulbs to clients who feel they could benefit from them.

Diane Smith, vice president of clinical operations, said Adelson is approached periodically by people with ideas such as Bryant’s.

“I worked with Karen Rouble, vice president of the foundation, and Jimmy came and did a presentation with us about what he was doing and how important it was for the community,” Smith said.

She said that in the past, patients have mentioned difficulties with being located.

“They’ll say, ‘We’ll leave the porch light on for you.’ Well, almost everybody has their porch light on,” she said.

Bryant’s health is experiencing a reprieve, so much so that he signed off on hospice care. He is using the time to reach out to organizations that might spread the word about his nonprofit.

Bryant said he hopes his idea catches on beyond Las Vegas.

“I want Lights 4 Love to go nationwide,” he said. “Better yet, worldwide.”

For more information, visit lights4love.org.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.