Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. (the company that makes iPods, iPhones, iTouches, and i-everything), was the “sickest patient on the waiting list” before his liver transplant, but now he’s doing well, according to Methodist University Hospital’s transplant institute in Memphis. Jobs had had liver cancer, but now, his prognosis is excellent, which is great considering that his status with Apple means that any illness for him can (and does) make Apple’s stock fall.
Probably because of the link between Jobs’s health and the company’s stock, news of Jobs’s health was kept fairly quiet while the latest iPhone successfully launched. Jobs had been on a medical leave of absence for several months leading up to the transplant, which happened sometime in April; the transplant was not reported until a week ago, at the end of the day that the iPhone 3G S came out. First the iPhone, then the news about the boss… Makes sense when you’re trying to make sure that hysteria over medical news won’t overshadow a new product release.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Jobs will be back to work by the end of the month, which is good news for Apple and Apple-lovers worldwide. He might work part time at first, but that’s certainly better than not working at all. So kudos to the Memphis health care professionals who performed Jobs’s liver transplant and gave him the care he needed to recover!