--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fifteen years ago tomorrow I had open…" description: "\"Fifteen years ago tomorrow I had open heart surgery, a quintuple bypass surgery. Thanks to all of my doctors. Because of them, in 15 years of life I've..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/david-letterman-378_able_fifteen-years-ago-tomorrow-i-had-open-he_708028.jpg" --- # Fifteen years ago tomorrow I had open heart surgery, a… ![“Fifteen years ago tomorrow I had open heart surgery, a quintuple bypass surgery. Thanks to all of my doctors. Because of them, in 15 years of life I've been able to experience, well, acid reflux, short-term memory loss, and erectile dysfunction. Thanks for all your work. It's great to be alive.” quote by David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/david-letterman-378_able_fifteen-years-ago-tomorrow-i-had-open-he_708028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/david-letterman-378_able_fifteen-years-ago-tomorrow-i-had-open-he_708028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/david-letterman-378_able_fifteen-years-ago-tomorrow-i-had-open-he_708028.jpg) > “Fifteen years ago tomorrow I had open heart surgery, a quintuple bypass surgery. Thanks to all of my doctors. Because of them, in 15 years of life I've been able to experience, well, acid reflux, short-term memory loss, and erectile dysfunction. Thanks for all your work. It's great to be alive.” [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He expresses gratitude for medical care that extended his life, humorously noting side effects of aging and surgery. **In simple terms:** Thanks doctors for extending life despite side effects. Key Takeaway Appreciate medical care and stay positive. Themes gratitude health humor aging medical care Mood reflective lighthearted grateful Type personal humorous When to use this quote - celebrating recovery - discussing health - public speaking - personal reflection Key Concepts longevity post-surgical experience patient perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance gratitude with acknowledging health challenges? - What does “great to be alive” mean after serious surgery? A Different Perspective Medical side effects can diminish quality of life despite longevity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acid reflux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acid-reflux/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Dysfunction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunction/) [Fifteen years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifteen-years/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-loss/) [Open heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-heart/) [Short term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-term/) [Short term memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-term-memory/) [Surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgery/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Years of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [While I was gone, I had quintuple bypass surgery on my heart. 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