It seems like everyone is always giving us advice about our hearts. “Don’t get your heart broken”, “Don’t wear your heart on your sleeve” and a sometime in our lives we may very well have someone tell us to “not give our heart away”.

Yes, we need to protect our heart, but not just from emotional pain, but also from medical risks of heart disease and even a heart attack. No one wants to believe a heart attack could happen to them. But for half a million Americans each year, it does. And, African American adults are at higher risk than most other races. African American men are 30% more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic, white males.

What many people don’t realize is that there are ways to prevent another one from happening to them. A simple one is to start living proHeart.

For those who have suffered a heart attack or ischemic stroke (stroke caused by a blood clot), proHeart is all about taking control of your heart health. Living proHeart means understanding your risk factors, talking to your doctor about what you can do to reduce your risk for a recurrent event, and being a proHeart advocate for yourself and those you love. Get the facts about cardiovascular disease. Learn more about aspirin for the heart and its benefits for heart event survivors. Hear real stories of survival and share your own. Above all, become your own advocate and start living proHeart.

Bless your heart!