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Comment by TomOfTTB | Hacker News Reader

This is not terrible news. Terrible news would be him staying on while he was sick and making it worse. The man is taking a really brief respite to rest after contracting an illness. That's what he's SUPPOSED to do.

Realty check: People get sick and they rest and then they get better. That's what's happening here.

If this were undiagnosed, or a really serious condition, or life threatening, or anything like that I'd have a different opinion. But as of right now all I see is a bunch of people trying to make a really big deal out of a relatively small thing in order to drive hits/sell newspapers.

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>Realty check: People get sick and they rest and then they get better.

Pretty often, actually, people get sick and then die. Especially people who've had cancer. :(

Reading between the lines here, I suspect his health is in really bad shape. I hope I'm wrong, though.

Not that often and those who are ill enough to be at risk of death are usually hospitalized.

More to the point he has a disease that causes depression, fatigue, hair loss, urinary tract infections, and other embarassing conditions. So it makes perfect sense for him to stay at home to recover.

Other than he had Cancer 5 years ago what lines are you reading in between that makes you think he's sicker than he says?

A hormone imbalance is serious. Anything "more complex" than that is very serious.

Anything so serious that it could cause a CEO to leave a company for six months is extremely serious.

The fact that he's taking a significant leave of absence makes me think maybe his doctors said "you have a one in X chance of beating this thing". Again, I really want to be wrong.

Are you kidding? You think things are so bad that it could be fatal yet he's just hangin' out at home? If something's that close to being fatal a person get's hospitalized.

Second this isn't a significant amount of time off. Perfectly healthy 53 year olds with millions of dollars in the bank take sabbaticals all the time.

If something's that close to being fatal a person get's hospitalized.

If you're that rich, you don't go to the hospital, the hospital comes to you.

No, it doesn’t. Hospitals have thousands of Doctors with all kinds of specialties along with millions of dollars of specialized equipment. People are hospitalized so they have quick access to all those Doctors depending on what happens to them. You can’t “bring a hospital to you”

Taking another look at the now and then pictures, I'm inclined to believe the worst. It's a feeling based on a personal experience.

Extended weight loss isn't something that just happens. Granted with the surgery he's had, you do expect some effects as the GI system probably isn't as efficient as it once was. But given the care he's probably receiving, any minor issue should have been resolved. And for any workaholic to have to take time off means that it's probably something serious.

Even with the best care, you can only make a diagnosis based on what you know to test for. You can treat the symptoms but if the underlying cause isn't detected, the best you can do is prolong the inevitable.

Hope I'm wrong cause it's not anything I'd wish on anyone.

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