Dr. Brian Waterman Restores Fellow Army Veteran’s Injured Shoulder

Posted on: December 1st, 2025 by Our Team

In a testament to commitment and compassion, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brian Waterman recently performed a successful reverse shoulder replacement on 77-year-old veteran pilot and Purple Heart recipient, Ronald Hope. The story, first reported by WXII 12 News, highlights how Waterman — himself a former Army physician — took on a case many other surgeons deemed too risky.

Hope had endured severe trauma in Vietnam, where a helicopter crash led to burns over 60% of his body and amputation of his left arm at age 21. Later in life, years of compensating with his right arm resulted in a severely damaged shoulder, robbing him of the ability to fly his plane or even lift his arm to don a headset.

Despite multiple previous surgeries and discouragement by other physicians, Dr. Waterman accepted the challenge — motivated in part by a shared military background and understanding of the stakes. He described Hope’s shoulder as having a “complex deformity,” but not a lost cause. On April 24, 2024, he performed a reverse shoulder replacement, re-engineering the shoulder joint by anchoring a new socket into the scapula and inverting the shoulder’s architecture.

The results have been transformative. Hope reports he now enjoys more function than he ever regained after his first rotator cuff surgery — enough to resume flying, and reclaiming a part of his identity that he feared lost. His daughter, a nurse manager at the same hospital, describes the outcome as “phenomenal.”

This case underlines the powerful role of skilled surgical care — especially when coupled with empathy and shared experience. For the many veterans and patients living with complex orthopedic problems, Dr. Waterman’s work offers a powerful message: with the right expertise and commitment, even long-standing injuries can be rebuilt — and lives restored.

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