We should save our hearts for those we love. That is the Valentine’s Day message that families everywhere need to hear.

A member of my church whom I’ll call “Larry” has a compelling story that reminds us all of the importance of protecting our health - so that we will be there for those we love during the years to come.

Like most of us, Larry spent the day before Christmas, 1999, running around to purchase last minute gifts. By about 8:30 that night, Larry was having some milk and cookies after wrapping the presents with his family.

Then, Larry felt some tightness in his chest and a tingling sensation that ran down both of his arms.

Although he really didn’t want to leave home again that night, Larry realized that he had no choice. He works at a Baltimore hospital, and he knew that he had received some warning signs that could not be ignored.

Larry drove to the hospital, where he shared his symptoms with the staff. A doctor examined him right away.

The warning signs were real. Larry was suffering a heart attack.

The emergency care that Larry received that night kept him alive - and, five years later, he continues to live a healthy, productive life.

He was able to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with his family - the very best gift of love he could offer.

Larry’s message to America is far more compelling than the words on a store-bought Valentine’s Day card. It is a tough love story that we all need to hear.

We must protect ourselves - and those we love - against a threat that can steal our lives.

Larry was 56 years old at the time of his heart attack, a critical age for so many African American men. Had he not known the warning signs and obtained immediate care, his doctors have told him, there is a 99 percent chance that he would have died.

Far too many Americans of color are dying from heart attacks before our time. We develop high blood pressure at an earlier age, and, on average, our blood pressure readings are higher than those of other groups. In fact, the prevalence of hypertension in our communities is among the highest in the world.

Compared to white Americans, ages 45-65, the premature death rate from heart disease for Black men is twice as high. For Black women, it is three times as high.

Here are some of the reasons why - and what we can do to reduce those dangers.

First, we must take better care of ourselves.

The American Heart Association has identified several risk factors for coronary heart disease - only some of which can be controlled.

The major risk factors that cannot be changed are increasing age, our gender and our heredity, including our race. For example, children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop that disease themselves.

That is why we must do all that we can to reduce the risks that we can control. We can quit smoking, engage in regular exercise, reduce our consumption of alcohol, reduce the stress in our lives and make healthy choices about the food that we eat.

Second, we must continue to challenge the disparities in health care that disproportionately threaten our communities.

We have more limited access to affordable, high quality health care. When heart disease occurs, we are less likely to receive life saving medical interventions like coronary angiography and coronary revascularization.

We continue to face the reality that too little research funding is being focused upon the health risks that threaten minority communities.

These harsh facts of life are now publicly acknowledged by leaders in every political party. The critical test, however, will be our willingness to allocate the public funding that is needed to eliminate race as a mortality factor in this country.

Lastly, we all have the power to learn the warning signs of imminent heart attack - and to develop a plan of action that can save our lives.

Most heart attacks involve uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes - or that goes away and returns. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body - in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach - can also be a warning sign, as can shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

When these warning signs occur, the American Heart Association advises, we should not wait longer than 5 minutes before calling 9-1-1 or having someone with us drive us to the hospital.

Heart attacks remain the number one killer in the United States. That is why I welcomed this opportunity to help Larry deliver a Valentine’s Day message to families nationwide.

We should save our hearts for those we love.