For nearly four decades, Arlington resident Noe Vasquez and his wife Rosie built swimming pools around North Texas by laying stone, setting tile and climbing scaffolds, day after day. “We worked together. We vacationed together. We did everything together," Noe said. It was the life they loved, even if it was hard on the body.

Years of heavy lifting combined with a family history of arthritis soon limited Noe who had spent a lifetime staying active—playing baseball in his youth and serving in the U.S. Army before beginning a career in creating beautiful tile and stone designs for pool areas. Pain in his shoulders impacted his busy daily life, and his ability to move his arms up and down became less and less, creating a new reality of being limited by his own body.

“I couldn’t do anything,” Noe said, the sadness he remembers apparent in his voice. After a fall while on vacation that injured his shoulder even further, Noe couldn’t even lift his arm to use his ATM card. “And that made me mad!” he remembered.

Care at Texas Health Provided Answer

Enough was enough, Noe decided – and that’s when he met Venkat Rapuri, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and at Texas Health Orthopedic Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice also in Arlington.

Dr. Rapuri explained that Noe needed a joint replacement, and recommended a procedure called a reverse total shoulder replacement. This procedure switches the normal ball-and-socket structure of the shoulder so that the ball is placed on the shoulder blade and the socket is attached to the upper arm bone. This design allows the deltoid muscle to lift the arm when the rotator cuff is too damaged to function.

While apprehensive about having surgery, Noe was committed to ending the pain, and he trusted the dedicated care providers he met at Texas Health.

“I said, go ahead and give me surgery on the left shoulder,” Noe recalled telling the doctor.

And then, everything changed: After a successful surgery and completing his prescribed rehabilitation through physical therapy, Noe could lift his arm straight overhead without pain for the first time in years. “I was amazed! I didn’t feel one bit of pain!” he said.

Noe was so satisfied with his outcome that he anxiously awaited the time when Dr. Rapuri would clear him to receive a total shoulder replacement on his other shoulder, which was also the source of much pain. Ten months later, a second successful reverse total shoulder was completed, this time on Noe’s other shoulder. The outcome was just as positive for him.

“I haven’t felt this good since I was in my 20s, playing baseball!” Noe said, recalling his days as a pitcher and short stop. “I told my wife, ‘Hey, you want to go tile some pools?’ I felt that good.”

All in the Family

Meanwhile, while Noe was navigating his own journey to pain relief, his sister, Evangelina, was on the quest for an answer to her own pain.

Evangelina’s shoulder trouble had been increasing for years. Arthritis ran in their family, and after pneumonia left her weak, she fell--making everything worse. “I thought it was just old age,” she admitted.

Several doctors brushed her off. One even told her there was nothing to be done at her age. But then her brother Noe had his surgery.

Evangelina went to the hospital the day her brother had his first shoulder replacement. She met the team, including Dr. Rapuri, and everything felt different than the conversations she had previously with other doctors. She made an appointment with Dr. Rapuri to talk about her own pain.

Simple tasks—brushing her hair, reaching the microwave, lifting anything out of the fridge—had become impossible for Evangelina. Her passion for baking, which included her famous carrot cake, was nearly gone; she couldn’t even whisk a batter.

Getting Answers and Hope

At her appointment, Dr. Rapuri welcomed her warmly and explained her imaging to her clearly. He felt that her rotator cuff was too damaged to repair—she needed a total joint replacement—but he assured her that she could reclaim her life.

“It was completely different experience from the other doctor’s offices I visited,” she said. “At Texas Health, they told us, yes, let’s improve your quality of life.”

Like her brother, Evangelina committed fully to the recovery process, which included physical therapy and home exercises. And, like her brother, she got her shoulder mobility back. She was elated to be pain-free.

When pain in Evangelina’s knee flared six months later, she didn’t hesitate to trust the process again. She returned to Dr. Rapuri for help, and received a successful knee replacement, too.

Today, she’s back to volunteering, back to shopping-’til-she-drops, and—most importantly—back to baking her legendary carrot cakes for friends and family. Her scars are barely visible. Her energy is fully restored. “I’m enjoying my life pain-free,” Evangelina says with gratitude. “They really held my hand through the process.”

More than anything, Noe appreciated how much Dr. Rapuri and the staff at Texas Health Arlington Memorial truly cared for him. “Oh man, they’re good,” Noe said. “You can tell that they care. I recommend that doctor and hospital to everyone.”