DR. John H. Moe Exhibit

SCOLIOSIS ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE PERSONAL LIFE OF DR. MOE. He met his wife Mary Lou through her daughter Nancy Wood who had a congenital cervicothoracic scoliosis and needed surgery. [21] In 1974, at the age of 13, the magnitude of Nancy’s double curve necessitated that she undergo posterior fixation instrumentation and spinal fusion from C6 to T6. [22]

Prior to surgery, Dr. Moe placed her in halo traction to distract her spine. The halo was then attached to a plaster body cast during the operation. “My 6-month follow-up was a wonderful day because I got the halo taken off...I felt like a new person because I didn’t have that thing on my head anymore, even though I had to wear another cast for 3 months,” said Nancy. [23]

The follow-up visits lasted for 2 years. During her final appointment with Dr. Moe, while saying their goodbyes, he asked Nancy if more of her father’s art was available in Minnesota. Having limited financial resources, Bob Wood — a Western and Native American painter and sculptor — had arranged with Dr. Moe to pay for her surgical treatment with art. “Yes, we have a lot of art. You ought to come over some time...Mom, can’t we have Dr. Moe over for lunch or brunch or something on Sunday...wouldn’t that be nice, wouldn’t that be fun?” replied Nancy. [23]

“Sitting at the other end of the examination room, horrified that I would invite someone to come over...my mom said, ‘No way! No way are we going to have some famous doctor come over to our house!’ Dr. Moe just sort of laughed. He was always very friendly and nice. He smiled and said, ‘Well, maybe you’ll write me a letter and let me know when it might be a good time to come by and see some of the art that you have.’ So they left it at that.” [23]

Despite her initial reaction, Nancy’s mother spent the weekend gathering together some paintings that she thought Dr. Moe might like to see and writing him that letter. “Please call me at either of the numbers above and let us know which evening or afternoon would be open for you. The girls are excited about your and your wife’s visit if she would wish to come,” Mary Lou wrote. [24] She was single at the time, as was Dr. Moe, and according to him, “THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE TEAM OF MOE AND MOE WHO NOW TRAVEL WORLDWIDE WORKING TOGETHER SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF SCOLIOSIS.” [21]

“When John came over to the house, we talked about all the pictures that we had out of my dad’s. It was really a nice time. So that’s how my mom and John really got to know each other,” said Nancy. “Being as she was — a medical secretary trained in Rochester, Minnesota [at the Mayo Clinic], he offered her a job...So she started working for him, then they got engaged, and then they got married.” [23]