Fernando Mendoza's Mother Is Confined to a Wheelchair Because of Multiple Sclerosis

The Indiana Hoosiers are now national champions. They are the first team in college history to go 16-0, completing an improbable run that made the team one of the most dominant forces in college football history.

Following the news that the Hoosiers are now national champions, many wanted to know more about Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is likely to be one of the top picks in next year's draft. Among the things people were curious about was his mother, who uses a wheelchair and is undoubtedly incredibly proud of what her son has achieved. Here's what we know.

Fernando's mom, Elsa Mendoza, sometimes struggles to get around because she has multiple sclerosis, an illness that she was first diagnosed with when she was just 18 years old, per The Palm Beach Post. Her condition worsened after she contracted COVID-19, and she now uses a wheelchair, which can make the journeys she takes to support her son a little bit arduous.

Elsa has been there every step of the way, though, and Fernando has cited his mother as one of his biggest inspirations every chance he gets. "Mami, this is your trophy as much as it is mine," he said while accepting the Heisman trophy. "You've always been my biggest fan. You're my life. You're my why. ... You taught me that toughness doesn't need to be loud. It can be quiet and strong. It's choosing hope."

"It's believing in yourself when the world doesn't give you much reason to. Together, you and I are rewriting what people think is possible," he continued.

Unsurprisingly, the love and inspiration flow both ways. In a letter published to him in the Player's Tribune, Elsa discussed her condition and suggested that her son has been a constant companion to her through thick and thin.

"No matter what kind of state I’ve been in, or day I’ve been having — 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 and are standing by. And even as my condition has gotten worse, and as our lives continue to change around that fact: You manage to make me feel like I’m still every part of myself," she wrote in the letter.

Elsa was the one who taught Fernando how to throw a football, and decision that seems like it might change the course of her entire family's life. Elsa was also the one most convinced that her son was destined for football greatness, and now, he's a Heisman trophy winner headed for the NFL.

It's fair to say that Fernando and his mom mean a great deal to one another, and that neither of them would be where they are today without the other. It's the kind of parental relationship that makes people jealous, and one that has stayed the same even as their lives have changed drastically around them.