A new biography of Steve Jobs details the choices he made in his cancer treatment. As first reported by Fortune in 2008, Jobs delayed recommended surgery when diagnosed. The day after Jobs died, we blogged about The Daily Beast post that expanded on Jobs’ unusual treatment choices.
Now the biography, by Walter Isaacson, includes rich interviews with Jobs himself, as well as his family, friends and doctors. The New York Times obtained an advance copy, reporting that Jobs, in lieu of surgery, spent months following a diet of fruit juices, herbal treatments and other approaches, according to the book. Some of these he found on the Internet. From the Times:
His early decision to put off surgery and rely instead on fruit juices, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other treatments — some of which he found on the Internet — infuriated and distressed his family, friends and physicians, the book says…
Friends and family, including his sister, Mona Simpson, urged Mr. Jobs to have surgery and chemotherapy, Mr. Isaacson writes. But Mr. Jobs delayed the medical treatment. His friend and mentor, Andrew Grove, the former head of Intel, who had overcome prostate cancer, told Mr. Jobs that diets and acupuncture were not a cure for his cancer. “I told him he was crazy,” he said.
In an interview to be broadcast this Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Isaacson says Jobs explained why he delayed the surgery this way, “I didn’t want my body to be opened, I didn’t want to be violated in that way.” Isaacson told 60 Minutes that Jobs ultimately was “regretful” about the delay.
Once Jobs embraced the recommended treatments, he applied his storied drive and determination, becoming an expert and guiding each decision, Isaacson writes. He seems to have made a complete transition from skeptic to scientist, going so far as to have both his tumor’s DNA and his normal DNA sequenced, at a cost of $100,000.
The biography, Steve Jobs, goes on sale Monday.