As you have read here and elsewhere, Apple’s Steve Jobs recently underwent a liver transplant for a rare form of pancreatic cancer.
He, however, is not talking publicly about his case, and Apple is tightly controlling the information surrounding Mr. Jobs’ health.
Certainly, he is entitled to his medical privacy, but there are some who believe he should use his stature and celebrity to raise the awareness of pancreatic cancer. It is indeed one of the most dire diagnoses, with an often fatal prognosis. Perhaps it is because of the dismal statistics that funding for pancreatic cancer is so low. Indeed, the National Cancer Institute spends over $13,000 per prostate cancer death, compared to $2,200 for pancreatic cancer.
On a blog post, the New York Times’ Tara Parker-Pope notes that celebrities can do an effective job in raising the awareness of disease, and goes on to cite the Last Lecture’s Randy Pausch and actor Patrick Swayze, each of whom also had pancreatic cancer.
Indeed, although it’s not known what Mr. Jobs has contributed behind the scenes, Ms. Parker-Pope writes that, “I do hope that this remarkable man and creative thinker who helped revolutionize computers, music, phones and animated movies will, someday soon, finally open up and lend his special brand of magic to the cancer community.”
Related posts:
- Steve Jobs received a new liver, and the ethics surrounding his transplant
- Is Steve Jobs dying? Two reasons that can explain his medical leave
- Apple’s Steve Jobs, and how his hormonal imbalance and pancreas is making him sick
- Pancreatic cancer
- Early cancer screening isn’t always better
- Steve Jobs
- A diabetic to Steve Jobs
{ 1 trackback }
{ 5 comments }
This particular case also has specific SEC rules to consider. There are laws regarding public access to matters with significant financial impact to publicly traded corporations, and the health of a CEO can be significant. There is some question whether Apple’s tight controls meet the demands of SEC rules on financial disclosure.
Good Idea! Steve Jobs should help try to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer and stimulate more research in the area.
I disagree. Just because one is famous does not make him a “celebrity.”
While Jobs’ role as CEO and creative genius have been very much in the public eye, his private life has remained just that…private. And his health and medical concerns are his business and I don’t think he any more than any other person who suffers from an illness, syndrome, or disabling condition should be forced into the spotlight to bring awareness to the issue.
It’s hard enough to endure cancer, think you might die, go through the treatments, have a liver transplant, and then, on top of all that, to be asked to become a spokesperson to raise awareness of the disease…. Well, personally, I think that’s asking a little too much.
Perhaps if Jobs were someone who had sought out the spotlight in regard to his personal life – someone like Mark Cuban, for example – I would agree that he should use his position to promote awareness of this disease. But in this case, I think he should be allowed his privacy if he wants it.
Everyone has a right to privacy, and nothing is more private. I would rather see him take this opportunity to educate the world about the limits of both their nosiness and their busybody moralizing about what he “ought” to do–but in the end it is strictly Steve Jobs business. The only thing about Jobs that is any of our affair is what he does with Apple Computer as a publicly traded company. That doesn’t make his health our affair any more than it does the janitor’s health.
My understanding is the Jobs has pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which has a very different prognosis compared to pancreatic adenocarcinoma. I do not have any facts to back up this claim; it was just something I heard.
If this is true, it would be nice to have this rare type of cancer highlighted in the news. However, I can relate to the desire for privacy. I would not want my health information broad-casted to the public.
Comments on this entry are closed.