The more I read about this case, the angrier I get.

By way of a disclaimer my "nearly" mother-in-law died in October last year after being told in March that she had neuroendocrine carcinoma and that an operation would be best delayed as the tumour is a typically slow growing type and she could die of old age before the cancer got her. The doctors recommended a wait and see approach with another scan in 6 months to gauage the tumour's growth rate. Treatment, likely surgery, would be determined from there. She had the scans just before she went into hospice and died about 8 weeks later.

My point? How do we know that Steve Jobs delay was not initially recommended (or at least condoned) by his doctors given that he had a treatable neuroendocrine tumour (which is code for slow growing or well differentiated)

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with the concept that alternative treatment doesn't work, I think holding Steven Jobs up as the poster boy is wrong.

The speculation besmirches the reputation of a genius who will go down in history as one of the top 10 visionaries who changed our lives. Or worse, the quacks will hold him up as the person with the vision to explore and undergo alternative treatments. This is what makes me so mad.

PS Let us not confuse lifestyle choices with alternative treatments.