Eighteen years ago, Fernando Mendoza’s mother told him a white lie. Not to deceive him, but to protect him. She didn’t want to be the sick mom, so she said that her limp would pass, that her fatigue was all because of a hard day. She wanted her son to chase the dreams and not have to worry about her. And chase Fernando did, as he is now standing at the cusp of playing the biggest game of his life—the national championship. And Fernando, standing here, knows that he couldn’t have done it without his mother.

“My mother is my light, my inspiration,” Mendoza said in a Big Ten Football interview. “If I have a bad lift or a bad practice, I see the way that she fights. Football players and athletes always talk about who their “why” is. And my mom is my why.”

That fight was something that Fernando grew up watching, even though he didn’t fully grasp the gravity of things at first. His mother, Elsa Mendoza, a former University of Miami tennis player, raised him and his brothers, Alberto and Max, all while secretly going through multiple sclerosis, a debilitating autoimmune condition.

For the longest time, she hid her struggles. In fact, even after a serious skiing accident, she kept quiet. But eventually, her condition worsened after she got hit by COVID-19, and the truth became impossible to hide.

Elsa had to sit down with Fernando and his brothers to have the conversation she delayed so long. She might have feared her sons breaking down, but instead, it showed just how strong-headed she had raised them to be. Rather than breaking Fernando, the truth reshaped him.

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He had watched his mom endure the extensive treatments, even chemotherapy. The MS progressed, stealing her movement and control through muscle stiffness and spasms, and confined her to a wheelchair, but Fernando didn’t break.

“When you have to carry me up the stairs,” Elsa wrote in The Players’ Tribune, “you’ve never once looked away. You’ve never once treated me like I’m embarrassing, or deficient, or anything other than someone you love.”

That’s why Fernando is who he is today — a no excuses, no shortcuts man. Earlier this fall, Mendoza had told reporters that while Heisman would be great, his end goal was a national championship, and he worked hard for it.

In fact, starting center Pat Coogan had mentioned, “He prepares like no one I’ve ever seen. He works his butt off like no one I’ve ever seen, and he’s just an awesome locker room guy on top of that.”

And right now, the stage couldn’t be more fitting, as it is a full-circle moment.

The national championship is in Miami, Elsa’s hometown, where she once competed as a student-athlete and where Fernando first fell in love with the game. Elsa already saw her son win the Heisman, and she will be there to watch her son lead Indiana into the biggest moment in the program’s history.

Fernando Mendoza fights for a family cause bigger than football

Mendoza hasn’t just talked about his mother; he has used his NIL platform to raise funds for those who need it the most. Fernando and his brother, Alberto Mendoza, a redshirt freshman for the Hoosiers, named ‘Mendoza Brothers’ Fight Against MS.’ They have already raised $154,002.13 so far and have the goal number set to $175,000.00.

Their MS awareness and fundraising efforts have gained traction in Bloomington, with local businesses stepping in to support the cause. BuffaLouie’s and Gable’s Bagels have each introduced special “Mendoza Bros.” menu items, directing proceeds to the National MS Society.

Fernando’s fundraising efforts began during his time in California. The quarterback launched a personal campaign by introducing the “Mendoza Burrito” at La Burrita in Berkeley, a nod to his Cuban roots. However, Mendoza is not alone in using his platform for the greater good. Other quarterbacks like Dante Moore have done the same.

Moore had joined the Power of Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Walk around the Autzen Stadium, speaking to nearly 500 people. The cause was close to his heart, given that his mother, Jera Moore, was diagnosed with breast cancer before his freshman season at UCLA. Thankfully, she is cancer-free now, but Moore makes sure to raise awareness about the condition.

The message also fits right in Oregon, given that Dan Lanning and the Ducks have been vocal about cancer awareness. From the “Give Cancer Hell” shirts to national-TV moments tied to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, an effort that got a historic $2 billion donation from Phil and Penny Knight, the Nike co-founder and Oregon alumnus.

In a time when athletes are singled out in the NIL era, where deals and money are said to be the priority, they are using NIL for good.