IU alumnus publishes memoir of life as a doctor

When his mother suffered a stroke Dr. Richard Moss stood at her deathbed and decided against giving her an anti-blood clotting agent. It was a decision Moss said would cause him enormous guilt.

“The neurologist got involved a day later and said ‘We really wish you would’ve given her the anti-clotting agent,’” Moss, who graduated from IU’s medical school in 1981, said.

After her death, Moss turned his grief and guilt into a novel, lamenting his mother’s death and celebrating her life.

“Matilda’s Memoir”, released in December, was published 15 years after his mother died, and is now available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

He said having his book published is therapeutic.

“The effort of writing it and getting it published are each in their own way quite challenging, and I’m relieved the book is finally out there,” Moss said.

The book details the hardships of his mother’s illness, interspersed with flashbacks of his mother raising him with his four brothers.

“The stories kind of weave in and out between these two threads,” he said.

The cover of “Matilda’s Memoir” was painted by Wendel Field, a former painter of the
IU basketball calendars and posters.

“Years ago, Wendel agreed to paint a portrait of my mother using one of my favorite photos of her,” Moss said.

The painting transformed into a family tree that depicts the family’s Jewish descent.
“It is a compressed but poignant portrayal of the life of my mother, our family, and large swaths of the Jewish people,” Moss said.

Published by Langmarc, the book follows his family’s connection with Indiana, he said.
Moss’ mother, who was born in Indiana, moved to the Bronx to raise her family. Moss went to IU and later resided in Jasper, Ind., where his mother lived until her death.

“I was sort of returning to our home land, if you will,” he said. “She died there. It’s an interesting connection.”

Follow reporter Sarah Zinn on Twitter @sarah_zinn.