I am writing this on a MacBook. I also own an iPod and an iPad. I love all of these – which is my way of saying that I am a huge fan of the products Steve Jobs created. He was a business genius. That's why I have been particularly disturbed by revelations about how he reacted to his initial diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
According to his biographer Walter Isaacson, who appeared on the program 60 Minutes last night, Jobs was initially informed that his cancer was slow-growing (unusual for pancreatic cancer) and could be cured by immediate surgery.
But Isaacson says Jobs resisted the initial surgery and instead tried a variety of untested treatments, which, Isaacson says, included a macrobiotic diet, consulting spiritualists and other non-traditional therapies. Later, Jobs told Isaacson, "I didn't want my body to be violated."
His wife and his friends urged him to get surgery – which he finally did, nine months later. By that time, the cancer had spread beyond the pancreas.
On 60 Minutes, correspondent Steve Kroft asked the question that is on my mind as well: "How could a smart man do such a stupid thing?"
The answer, Isaacson says, comes down to "magical thinking" by Jobs. He believed that if he ignored the bad stuff, it might go away. That's never the case and Jobs paid for his choice.
I have several friends battling cancer right now and some of them have tried alternative treatments. I think these are fine as long as they don't interfere with proven therapy. Many people are distrustful of modern medicine – sometimes with good reason. But that shouldn't mean rejecting lifesaving help. I hope that the story of Steve Jobs will inspire other cancer patients to make better choices than he did.