St. Vincent’s Medical Center hosted a free public stroke symposium on Monday to raise awareness.

Experts suggest it could potentially save the life of a loved one, friend or bystander.

Survivor Henry McKinney emphasizes the critical importance of time when suffering a stroke.

“I had my stroke in the morning at around 11 a.m. and I was in the hospital within 20 minutes. I believe they had a determination of a plan of action within a half hour," McKinney said. "I had blurred vision when my son looked at me, he immediately made the determination, ‘I think this is a stroke’.”