Alfred Health was named Premier’s Large Public Health Service of the Year at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards on Thursday night.

Each year, there are more than 475,000 Australians living with the aftermath of stroke. However, despite this figure, Alfred stroke specialists say there continues to be a lot of public misunderstanding about what a stroke is and why it is so important to recognise its symptoms as soon as possible.

Proud father of two girls, Peter Leeton, was born with a severe heart disease. Growing up, he was thin, had blue lips and nails and was always short of breath. But his real battle began in 2011 when he suffered multiple organ failure.