Meet Leslie Bishop, a Wyandotte Woman of the Year

Ten Wyandotte women are being honored as a Woman of the Year by Women of Wyandotte, a nonprofit group that aims to empower women to excel.

The honorees will be recognized during a Feb. 18 gala at the Wyandotte Arts Center.

Each day leading up to the event, Wyandotte Patch will introduce you to one of the honorees. Event organizers opted to share only a small portion of each woman's story, saying they wanted to reveal the rest at their gala.

Today, we introduce you to Leslie Bishop:

Leslie suffered a heart attack and brain trauma in 2009. While teaching a class, Leslie's heart stopped due to a sudden arrhythmia. She spent the next 31 days at Henry Ford Hospital and another two weeks at the Rehabilitation Center of Michigan. Due to loss of oxygen to the brain, Leslie suffered an anoxic brain injury. She continues to improve, but still has severe near memory loss.

During her time in the hospital, Leslie's family ensured that someone was by her bed 24 hours a day. Her sister, Laura Kowalski, kept a detailed blog of everything that happened, along with Leslie's daily prognosis.

"We all work with Leslie on a daily basis on her memory skills and reminding her what she should be doing to help her back to her old self," said Jerry Tuttle, who nominated his daughter for the recognition. "I realize that many families go through this, and even worse, every day. The way our family pulled together, supported each other, and still maintain our professional lives is a source of pride that I will never forget."

Both sisters, along with their mother, Pamela Tuttle, are being honored as a Woman of the Year. For more on their story, check out the family blog at http://mommarn.blogspot.com.

Meet the Other Honorees:

Andrea Fuller

Sarah Pettigrew

Alana Paluszewski

Maggie Molnar

Mary Gasiewski

Barbara Duran

Shirley Prygoski

Pamela Tuttle

Laura Kowalski