While half the globe is digging for clues on what the serious health problem forcing Steve Jobs to take a six-month long medical leave of absence might be, the Apple CEO is trying hard to switch the media attention from Steve Jobs - the person behind Apple, to the wonder-device delivering company itself. Any chance of success? Not really, since Apple is Steve Jobs, and Apple without Steve Jobs is just another half-eaten apple.
In 2004, Steve Jobs admitted to having pancreatic cancer, a condition for which he underwent a surgical procedure that same year. Fortunately for him, his type of tumor was not the most aggressive and deadly manifestation of pancreatic cancer, and was discovered early.
Pancreatic cancer is deadly in 95 percent of cases, and its lack of symptoms greatly contributes to that, since most patients are diagnosed in the late stages of the cancer. Jobs was among the lucky ones to perform a surgery for his condition four years ago, but recent reports indicated that he might be fighting with a recurrence of the disease.
In a letter made public on January 5th, Jobs tried to calm the waters a bit, after announcing his absence from the Macworld Expo. The Apple CEO said he has been constantly losing weight throughout last year due to a hormone imbalance, and that the remedy for his condition is simple, and should show effects by late spring.
But in his most recent announcement, Jobs acknowledged his health problem is more complicated than he originally though. As he promised, he would be the first to inform the board of directors if his health problem would stop him from fulfilling his job as Apple CEO.
Jobs wrote: Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well […] In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
At the end of last week, Bloomberg - citing sources monitoring his health - reported that Jobs was in fact dealing with complications resulted from his older condition, and that he was considering a liver transplant.
While trying to talk to Jobs about his medical condition, they’ve only managed to get him to say this about it: Why don’t you guys leave me alone – why is this important? No further comments on the matter were made by either Jobs or other representatives of the company.
His reaction should come as no surprise; after all, it’s his life, and his right to privacy. Unfortunately for him, his position as Apple CEO and announcer of Apple goods has somehow turned him into “public property,” causing momentum on matters that should not be important to Apple fans. We are all entitled to privacy.
