Her brush with death made her decide once and for all: The weight had to go.

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In 2001, John Travolta told CNN's Larry King that his son had a near brush with death related to the condition.

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When WPP emerged from its brush with death, the firm was reborn.

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Now looking back 28 very productive years past my brush with death, that was chump change compared to my earnings and contributions to society since then.

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Forty years later, Chrysler Corporation had its own brush with death and was saved only by Lee Iacocca who persuaded the federal government to guarantee the company's loans.

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Following this brush with death, I fled Iraq.

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As E-Trade struggles to recover from a near-death brush with the mortgage meltdown, and big wirehouses oust their bosses for losing billions, TD Ameritrade is basking in the glow of a share price up 14% over the past year.

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