Fernando Mendoza understands what a real fight looks like. He has watched up close how his mother fought each day for the past two decades with multiple sclerosis. He also understands how powerful it can be to hear you’re not alone when you are at your most vulnerable self. So when he heard about Riley, a Hoosiers fan diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and her boyfriend sending messages to everyone with hopes of connecting with him, he didn’t hesitate to drop in a message. 

“Hey Riley, this is Fernando Mendoza,” said the QB in the video.“I wanna let you know, I’m on your team. We’re not fighting alone. I hope you have a great day. I hope to meet you in person. Go Hoosiers. God bless you and your journey.”

It was just a short video. But inside a medical facility room where days are measured by radiation appointments, it felt huge. Rylie was diagnosed in October with a rare spinal cord diffuse midline glioma, an aggressive, WHO Grade IV tumor with a genetic mutation that makes it fast-growing and incredibly difficult to treat.

Before the biopsy confirmed it, doctors thought it might be MS, but there was hope it was something else. But after surgery on October 15th, when the tumor couldn’t be fully removed, the Radiation therapy soon began on November 4th.

She’s now wheelchair-bound, requiring around-the-clock care, living in a facility since mid-October. Clinical trials are being explored before she ages out of pediatric studies. The stats are brutal. And luckily, the road ahead is longer than anyone expected.

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Rylie and her boyfriend, Blake, have always loved IU. So her boyfriend started sending messages to anyone and everyone who could connect them to the program. “I probably messaged a thousand people,” he admitted. And somehow, it worked. When Mendoza’s face popped up on the iPad, Rylie kept replaying it. “I love him. I love him,” she said, shocked to see him. Then she went on to say, “How are we gonna meet in person?”

Right now, her fundraiser has raised $13,945, roughly 35% of a $40,000 goa,l with more than 200 donations as the Hoosier community rallies. Her current situation is uncertain. But for one minute on a screen, she heard the words, “We’re not fighting alone.” And sometimes, that’s enough to get through another day. And it wasn’t the first time he did that.

Fernando Mendoza’s Super Bowl promise to an IU fan

During Super Bowl LX on Radio Row, Giovanni “Gio” Hamilton, an Indiana fan living with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects muscles and bones, rolled up with the same energy he brings everywhere. Gio has had nearly 30 surgeries. He’s endured more hospital rooms than most people will ever see. But when he met Mendoza, he forgot all the pain. “I appreciate you giving us a little love right there. Gio is my man,” Mendoza said.

“I’m going to be there when you get drafted,” Gio told him. ESPN projections have Mendoza trending toward the No. 1 overall pick, possibly to the Las Vegas Raiders. “I’ll see you there,” he replied.

 And Gio basically lives for football. Back in 2020, he went viral for posting a heartfelt “get well” message to Cowboys QB Dak Prescott after his devastating ankle injury despite being an Eagles fan. The video hit 1.7 million views. Prescott even DM’d him. “It meant a lot to me because I can relate to what Dak is going through,” Gio said.

Gio’s life has been stitched together by surgeries on his eyes, jaw, and hips. “Football helps me through everything,” he once said. During long recoveries, he studied film and built plays in his head. His mom, Shannon, has watched communities rally around him. “Eagles fans are the best fans… they understand the spot that we’re in.” Moving to Indiana helped him connect with other kids facing similar battles. “This is the reason God had my dad level up his career here in Indy!!” Gio posted in 2025. And maybe that’s the thread tying it all together, Rylie and Gio. Football is becoming more than just football.