Emotional Fernando Mendoza delivers massive donation to MS research

Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza personally delivered on a massive pledged donation of $500,000 on Thursday in his continued efforts to fund research on multiple sclerosis.

The No. 1 pick in the draft has been an outspoken advocate in the battle against the nervous system condition that his mother, Elsa, has battled since 2008.

Mendoza was on hand as the large check was presented to his hometown University of Miami Health System and the medical school. It is intended to support several programs, including a clinical trial that will test the viability of using stem cells to slow or even reverse symptoms.

“Mommy, thank you for showing me what real strength looks like,” Mendoza said through tears during the presentation. “Everything I’ve accomplished starts with you.”

He shared that his mother shielded him and his siblings from her struggles with the condition until it reached a point the symptoms needed to be addressed.

“But from that day forward, I never saw my mom as someone who was struggling with MS,” he said. “She was the same mom that encouraged us every day and saw family first. The same woman that always put a smile on her face no matter how hard the day was. When I accepted the Heisman, I stated that my mom showed me what real toughness looked like. That it’s quiet. It’s not loud and it’s choosing hope.

“At that moment, I may have been talking about football, but I was really talking about life. “

The Mendoza Family Fund, established with the National MS Society last year, aims to advance research and help provide essential programs and services to families dealing with MS.

It has now raised more than $944,000 with an initial goal of $1.25 million.

“Today isn’t about football. It’s about my mom,” Mendoza said. “Football has given me great opportunities and I believe God has put me on this earth and given me these blessings in order to try to shine a better light on the world.”