Who: Adam Roberts, of Bloomsburg, and Dr. Gerard Cush, WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital foot and ankle surgeon.

What: Adam, 33, an instructional designer, had arthritis in his big toe, dating back to a sports injury from when he was a wrestler in junior high school. The arthritis was making it increasingly painful to walk, a challenge due to the fact that Adam has three active dogs that need a lot of exercise.

Dr. Cush recently did surgery on Adam’s big toe to remove the arthritis.

Adam was so grateful for how the surgery increased his mobility and decreased his pain that he wanted to do a fun surprise for Dr. Cush.

He ordered a cake in the shape of a right foot (the one he had the surgery on) from a specialty bakery. The red velvet foot cake was realistic down to its skin-colored icing, its hairy toes and its enlarged big toe knuckle, simulating what Adam’s foot looked like before the surgery. Written in icing on the cardboard tray next to the cake was: “Put your best foot forward.”

Adam Roberts with the big toe cake.

Adam brought the cake into a post-surgery appointment with Dr. Cush. The physician couldn’t figure out why his smiling team members, who were in on the surprise, were following him into an exam room and floored when he discovered the reason.

The big toe cake party crew (from left) Grace Bollinger, cast technician, Amy Wolfe, foot and ankle nurse navigator, Dr. Cush and Adam Roberts.

Once Dr. Cush recovered from his surprise, Adam asked him to make the first cut on the cake. Dr. Cush sliced the cake at the same spot where he did the initial cut for Adam’s surgery, laughing and thoroughly enjoying the experience and the piece of cake that followed.

Dr. Cush slices the cake.

Words to live by: “I recently lost a bunch of weight. I have made some lifestyle changes,” Adam says. “I felt like this was the perfect way to celebrate that and the continued and renewed mobility, and kind of put my best foot forward.

“That really was the reason for this, to show my gratitude and to celebrate continuing on a path of health and wellness. The future is much brighter for me.”

Dr. Cush was delighted and touched by the cake.

“To have somebody appreciate you by doing something like,” he says, “that makes a world of difference.”

“Relationships with patients are so important to me,” he adds. “They are trusting you to help them and do the best for them. Helping my patients back to their lifestyle, that’s why we do this. We want them to do their absolute best too.”