Death: Entry 3

Steve’s goal was to see his son graduate and he made a deal with God that he really wanted to be there for it. His son, Reed, adored his father. Once he found out he had cancer, he started working summers in a Stanford oncology lab doing DNA sequencing to find genetic markers for colon cancer. For a little while in his life, the cancer left his body. He could always tell when it was reappearing again because he would lose his appetite and begin to feel pains through-out his body. Doctors would do tests and detect nothing but a short time later they discovered it was no longer in remission. Depression came along with his cancer. He became tearful, dramatic, and morose and whined to others that he was about to die. He took a medical leave in 2011 from Apple and his health became public. By July 2011, his cancer had spread to his bones and other parts of his body and his doctors were having trouble finding targeted drugs that could beat it back. As his health continued to deteriorate, he slowly began to face the truth: he would not be returning to Apple as CEO so he knew it was a waste to resign. He had a hard time deciding how to make the transition of giving up his title but he wrote a letter and at the end he said, “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.” He wanted to continue doing things he liked and working on new products even though he was ill. So that’s just what he did. “I’ve had a very lucky career, a very lucky life, and I’ve done all I can do,” said Jobs. On Wednesday, October 5^th, he died at age 56 at home surrounded by his family.

Steve and wife Laurene

Sources: Steve Jobs: By Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs Cover Story: Nobody Know: Rolling Stones. By: Jeff Goodell