Report: Steve Jobs had liver transplant
Apple CEO Steve Jobs briefly addressed his state of health onstage at an Apple event last October.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News)Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple for the past six months, received a liver transplant in Tennessee two months ago, according to a report Friday in The Wall Street Journal that did not cite sources.
Earlier this year, Apple's CEO was reported to be relocating from California to Tennessee, which has a shorter waiting list for patients seeking organs, the report noted. In January, after Jobs announced that he would step aside from his day-to-day duties for a six-month medical leave of absence, Bloomberg reported that Apple's CEO was considering a liver transplant. In a telephone interview at the time, Jobs refused to comment on his health status.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but an Apple representative told the Journal that Jobs "continues to look forward to returning at the end of June, and there's nothing further to say."
Jobs is expected to return to the helm of Apple this month after nearly six months of medical leave. Jobs announced in January that he would be stepping down temporarily from the chief executive post while recuperating from a hormone imbalance. Some hoped his return to the company would coincide with an appearance at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month to announce the new iPhone 3G S, but that did not pan out for Apple faithful.
Jobs, 54, has been the subject of heated speculation regarding his health since last June's Worldwide Developers Conference, when he appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. At the time, Apple insisted that Jobs' health was a private matter but revealed in early January that Jobs was suffering from a hormone imbalance that was impeding his body's ability to absorb certain proteins.
In August 2004, Jobs underwent successful surgery to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, which sidelined him until September of that year. Much of the speculation over the past year had been over whether that cancer had returned.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, has been running the company during Jobs' absence.
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven. 
Get well soon Mr. Jobs.
Anyway, this entire report is based on an UNCONFIRMED source, so it could potentially be entirely false.. though I doubt it.
Good to have you back Steve. Guess it was a bit more serious than a "hormone imbalance" eh?
Get well soon Mr. Jobs.
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Plus, there's always some underlying reason for liver disease; noisy, Apple-bashing "PCs" (and nervous AAPL investors) do want to know.
Moreover all you folks need to read the HIPPA requirements. Steve is not required to declare his health conditions and we must not discuss it either. If Steve decided to make his health records public then we can dissect the information every bit.
Get well soon Steve.
Considering the massive growth and profits that Apple has been pulling into their bank account, in spite of a recession? I can say with certainty that they have.
And your next dumb question is...?
It's called Key Man Insurance, and its designed to specifically meet concerns like yours.
Do non-wealthy people have the luxury of being able to easily afford that kind of move? Some don't, but many find a way. It's common. And there are also various organizations that make a place for you to live for this purpose. Ronald McDonald house for children, is one of them.
Say you had kidney failure and had been on a waiting list for over a year... then all of sudden some rich celebrity guy moves to your state because he has a better chance of getting a kidney... and just when they find you a donor, they give it to the rich and powerful CEO, then he packs his bags and moves back to his state leaving you still needing a kidney, forcing you to wait even longer. Would you still consider that out of line?
Would you feel differently about this if it was Bill Gates or maybe Rush Limbaugh? Don't be an Apple apologist over this because of some brand loyalty... this just seems very unethical and unfair to anyone else on a liver waiting list.
If Steve did receive the liver in TN he got it faster there because the lines are shorter there. It is perfectly legit. Don't we all get in the shortest line when we can?
Something smells fishy. A given donor's liver may or may not be a fit to a given recipient due to blood type, age/size, how the donor died, presence/abscence of such things as hepatitis, etc. Lots of factors involved, none of them having to do with money. Anybody who really did have a close relative waiting on a transplant list would know this (because most doctors go way the hell out of their way to explain it). For a peek, see this: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Gastroenterology/LiverTransplantation/14434
'course, don't let that get in the way of a good old fashioned baseless OS rocks/sucks argument...
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This is just a despicable comment and an attempt to push your own blog and agenda. BTW, I posted a response on your blog.beliefnet but in case it is mysteriously deleted, I'm including part of it here.
First, I worked several years ago at a hospital with a kidney transplant program. Each and every prospective patient went through an extensive transplant review process to determine if the person was a viable candidate for organ transplant. Their individual wealth played no role in that, and some had been on more than one regional transplant list waiting for a kidney. You don't buy organs here in the U.S.
Second, it's been widely reported that Steve Jobs did not suffer from a "normal" pancreatic cancer, but from a rare tumor called "islet cell cancer," which generally has a much better prognosis. According to comments I read on another blog from a physician who treats islet cell tumors, it is common for them to metastasize (seed) into the liver - but a liver transplant can cure patients in those instances.
If you're going to debate ethics, start with the truth, not a false statement that pushes your agenda.
For all the people who complain about Microsoft, Bill Gates is a great giver and has donated over 50 billion to charity. Apple and Jobs has given how much? Apple drones should stop praising Jobs. When Apple went public Steve Wozniak shared with the other employees a good portion of his stock. Steve Jobs refused to share any. He is not a good person.
Your comment is a cheap and pathetic excuse to trash Gates and MS. Bill Gates did not form a charitable donation for publicity. He is now devoting his life to his charitable organization. Did you ever think that maybe the guy just wants to do some good in the world?
That would be against what his Fanboy handbook tells him.
- by dudesmiles June 20, 2009 8:13 AM PDT
- i bet the hospital used windows
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- by ckh1272 June 20, 2009 9:30 AM PDT
- I am blown away by the last 3 out of four comments (esp. the last two). To the poster refuses to display a user name (cowardly, if you ask me), unless you have proof of what Steve Jobs and Apple have done with their money, please use that BS to fertilize the yard!
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Showing 1 of 4 pages (145 Comments)To dudesmiles-I bet you thought you were clever. <sarcasm>
To hillymeg-I sympathize with your plight, but using this story to push a website/blog is a little self righteous. Once again, provide proof that there are/were misgivings regarding Jobs health, then your post looks more credible. BTW, My G-mother died from colon and liver cancer within six months of diagnosis, so don't think I am personally slamming anyone.
To the rest of the posters: Try to keep the negative BS to yourselves. This was a story about a serious subject and shouldn't be subjected to the normal trolling BS that accompanies every other article. Let the facts come out first before making assumptions.