Indiana announced quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner after leading the Hoosiers to their first conference championship since 1967.
The recognition caps a season that saw Indiana earn the No. 1 seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff.
Mendoza’s success story includes a personal element that’s driven his performance on the field. His mother, Elsa Fernandez, has battled Multiple Sclerosis for 18 years and uses a wheelchair due to the condition.
What is Fernando Mendoza’s mom’s disease?
Mendoza’s mother suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. The disease, commonly called MS, breaks down the protective covering around nerve fibers.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
The body’s immune system attacks myelin, the protective sheath covering nerve fibers, according to the Mayo Clinic. This disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
The disease can eventually cause permanent damage to nerve fibers.
Symptoms vary but often include tingling, numbness, electric-shock sensations when moving the neck, coordination problems, walking difficulties and weakness.
No cure currently exists for multiple sclerosis. The condition affects an estimated 2.9 million people worldwide.
Fernando Mendoza’s mom age
Elsa’s exact age isn’t publicly known. In a recent letter for The Player’s Tribune, she wrote that she moved to Boston when she got pregnant at 25.
Mendoza was born Oct. 1, 2003, in Boston. That would put his mother somewhere in her late 40s.
When was Elsa Mendoza diagnosed with MS?
Elsa received her MS diagnosis 18 years ago. Her condition worsened in 2015 after she broke her knee, then again when she contracted COVID-19.
Elsa Mendoza raises Multiple Sclerosis awareness
Fernando and his mother have used his platform at Indiana to raise awareness for MS. Mendoza hosted a fundraiser targeting $100,000 for MS research, programs and services.
He’s spoken about how his mother inspires him daily.
“At this point, she has a tough time moving around and stuff like that, but her happiness, her joy and her determination is what inspires me every single day and that’s what pushes me,” Fernando said in a video for Hoosiers Connect, Indiana’s official NIL collective. “You know, if I’m in a workout and I’m feeling tired, you know, a little thought in my mind goes, ‘Maybe you should skip out on this set’ or something like that, I’ll be like, my mom is out here every single day putting a ton of work, a ton of dedication and still with a great attitude, a great positive attitude in everything she does.”
Before winning the Heisman, Mendoza partnered with the National MS Society at an Adidas store event:
Mendoza and Indiana face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
