Texas surgeon inspires patient to follow in his footsteps

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — United Regional Orthopedic Surgeons Dr. Michael Sheen and Dr. Jason Hoffman go way back.

Sheen performed surgery on Hoffman nearly two decades ago, never thinking Hoffman would later become a surgeon himself.

When Sheen started experiencing hip pain while the two were working side by side, however, he knew Hoffman was the doctor he wanted when he discovered he needed surgery.

As a teen, Jason Hoffman loved to play baseball. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to an injury he suffered while in a game.

“Delayed steal, slid headfirst into third base,” Hoffman said. “Had both bone forearm fracture, had to go down to the emergency room, had the closure reduced and splinted. Later developed something called compartment syndrome.”

That’s when Sheen realized he had to act fast.

“He said, ‘Hey, we need to take him into surgery. We need to open up his arm immediately,’ and my mom was like, ‘No way we’re sending him to Dallas. Not happening,'” Hoffman explained. “Dr. Sheen said, ‘Hey, this is a time-sensitive thing. We need to open up his arm, and we need to do it now,'” Hoffman said.

Five surgeries later, Hoffman has a working arm and the scar to go with it, but that’s not all that Hoffman left with. He also left with the feeling of wanting to help others just as Dr. Sheen had helped him.

“I decided, ‘Hey, I think I want to get into medicine,’ and went locally to Midwestern State University, and then ended up going to UNT Health Science Center for Medicine,” Hoffman said.

Now, you can find the pair working alongside each other performing surgeries at the new United Regional’s Advanced Orthopedics Center. And, there’s something special about a certain surgery Hoffman performed on a very familiar patient.

“When he came on board, he had gone to a fellowship, which is extra training to do hip and knee surgeries to replace them. So, when my hip got so bad that the patients started saying, ‘Aren’t you going to have surgery?’ I knew it was time. So, he fixed my hip, and it’s been great,” Sheen said about Hoffman.

The once-injured teen was able to perform surgery on his mentor who helped pave the way for Hoffman’s future.

For an in-depth testimony from both doctors, click here.