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Gift marks a dip back into life
By CHRISTINA REXRODE, Times Staff Writer
Published September 19, 2007
If Jill Finley is a miracle survivor, then the Melting Pot - a Tampa-based chain of fondue restaurants - may be her guardian angel. One night in May, Finley, a 32-year-old Oklahoma City woman, had a heart attack and stopped breathing. Her husband, Ryan, administered CPR and rushed her to the hospital, but she slipped into a coma. After two weeks, Ryan Finley decided to take his wife off life support. But Jill, the penultimate tough cookie, awoke a few hours later. "Get me out of here," she said. Then she added another request, involving two of her favorite restaurants: "Take me to Ted's and take me to the Melting Pot." The head honchos at the Melting Potwere touched. On Thursday, they're flying the Finleys to Scottsdale, Ariz., where they'll present the couple with vouchers for a year of free fondue. The gift is worth $1,200 - good for a $100 splurge each month, a spokeswoman pointed out. "Jill's story is such a miracle, the least we could do would be to respond to her request," said the Melting Pot's president, Bob Johnston. The first Melting Pot opened in 1975 in Maitland. Since then, it's expanded to 119 locations nationwide, with 38 more under development.
[Last modified September 18, 2007, 22:09:39]
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