William “Pete” Wallace enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1973, “right out of high school,” and spent years serving before a back injury sustained after his military service ended slowly chipped away at his mobility. For years, he relied on a cane just to get around. Now, after spinal surgery at a Piedmont Medical Network hospital in Rock Hill, South Carolina, he’s walking on his own again, covering up to four miles a day.
The transformation, first reported by WBTV, centers on a goal Wallace set for himself long before he ever stepped into an operating room: to put away his cane by his 71st birthday. Before the surgery, mornings weren’t easy. Wallace said he used ice packs and prescribed pain medication just to get moving in the morning, a routine familiar to many veterans managing service-related injuries that worsen with age.
The procedure was guided by neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Cheatle, who used the Globus robotic system to help steer the operation. Cheatle, identified by Atrium Health as a neurological surgery provider, has performed more than 200 robotic-assisted surgeries over the past two years, according to the station’s report. He said robotic systems like the one used in Wallace’s case help doctors make more precise decisions during surgery.
A Goal Met, and a Deeper Sense of Purpose
For Cheatle, the case carried weight beyond the operating table. He said it was amazing to give a veteran who sacrificed so much his life back, per the same account. Wallace, for his part, reflected on quieter moments from his Navy days, saying he would look at the stars from a helicopter deck at night while serving — a memory that stuck with him through decades of pain and recovery.
Wallace has also been candid about what he’s witnessed among fellow veterans. He said he has seen other veterans struggle to get medical treatment, and he believes those who serve deserve the best treatment available. His comments echo a broader reality across the state: South Carolina has more than 400,000 veterans, with many living in York, Lancaster, Chester, and Chesterfield counties — the same region surrounding Rock Hill, where Wallace received his care.
Robotic Spine Surgery Gains Ground Regionally
Wallace’s case isn’t the only one tied to Cheatle’s robotic-assisted work in the area. A May 2025 report from WSOC TV described a Rock Hill woman who found relief after decades of back pain following a similar procedure, with Cheatle recommending surgery using the same Globus robot after identifying severe stenosis and spondylosis in her spine.
The broader medical literature suggests robotic assistance in spine surgery has become increasingly studied, though not without caveats. A 2024 systematic review published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine examined 46 studies covering 25,054 robot-assisted pedicle screws and found similar performance reported across four separate robotic systems — research noted with low confidence in how directly it applies to any single patient’s outcome, including Wallace’s.
For now, Wallace’s own results speak loudest: a cane set aside, a birthday goal met, and daily walks that once seemed out of reach. His story adds a personal face to a region where hundreds of thousands of veterans are navigating their own paths to care.
