The gift will help support \u201cregenerative therapies, expanded access and will push the boundaries of discovery to identify solutions that have the potential to change the lives for generations of patients and families.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Fernando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MIA_UMMendozadonationcheckAGS068.JPG\" "\\"MIA_UMMendozadonationcheckAGS068.JPG\\"")
Fernando Mendoza, Heisman Trophy winner from Miami, right, puts his arm around his mother, Elsa, while his father, Fernando Sr., looks on after donating a $500,000 check from the Mendoza Family Fund on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Alie Skowronski <\/p>\n
MS is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system \u201cmistakenly attacks healthy cells,\u201d<\/a> according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. MS symptoms<\/a> vary by person and can depend on where in the nervous system \u2014 and how severe \u2014 the damage is, though common symptoms include numbness, vision changes and difficulty walking, according to the Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n Researchers don\u2019t know yet what exactly causes MS, a condition that is estimated to affect 1 million people in the country. There is no cure yet, though treatments do exist to help manage symptoms.<\/p>\n Mendoza donation to help fund stem cell MS research<\/p>\n The Mendoza family hopes their donation will help bring researchers like Dr. Flavia Nelson closer to a cure. Nelson is a professor of neurology at the University of Miami and the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence. She\u2019s leading a clinical trial testing a stem cell treatment to see if it can help repair advanced MS-related damage in patients and improve their ability to walk and function.<\/p>\n The upcoming trial will test a new stem cell therapy, NG01 from the company NeuroGenesis, to see if it can help slow the disease progression and improve the ability of movement in patients 18 to 65 with advanced MS. Besides Miami, the trial \u2014 which Nelson describes as the first of its kind in the nation \u2014 will also be conducted at several other academic health centers in the country, as well as in Israel.<\/p>\n Nelson, in a phone interview with the Miami Herald ahead of the news conference, described the trial as \u201cambitious\u201d and said that the goal of the stem cell therapy is to not just slow the disease progression but also to improve the patient\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n And the treatment has shown promise so far in earlier trial stages. It was granted a \u201cRegenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy\u201d designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year to help expedite the development and review of the regenerative medicine therapy for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple scerlosis. The company said the designation<\/a> was granted based on its phase 2 trial data, which demonstrated that the therapy \u201cmay slow disease progression, reduce disability, and improve function (walking and hand dexterity) in Progressive MS patients\u201d and showed signs of reducing \u201ckey biomarkers of neurodegeneration.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how it works: Doctors take \u201cbone marrow derived stem cells\u201d from the patient\u2019s hip and send them to a lab to be \u201cengineered\u201d and filled with high levels of protein, according to Nelson. The enhanced stem cells are then injected into the patient to help repair the areas of the brain and spinal cord that were damaged by the disease.<\/p>\n Nelson believes trials like this one are just the beginning of the future of regenerative medicine \u2014 and of a future where doctors will be able to repair brain damage.<\/p>\n \u201cGifts like the one from the Mendoza family, they give us the opportunity to pursue bold ideas, expand access to promising therapies and move important research forward more quickly,\u201d Nelson said at the news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cFor many of our patients, access to cutting-edge treatments is about more than innovation. It is about preserving independence, maintaining quality of life and creating new possibilities for the future,\u201d she added. \u201cSo this support brings us closer to therapies that have the potential to stop progression, restore function, and ultimately change the trajectory of the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018There is hope,\u2019 Mendoza says<\/p>\n The donation is just the latest effort from Mendoza, his brother Alberto and their family to help MS patients. They previously helped raise over $360,000 through DIY fundraising efforts for the National MS Society and to raise awareness about the disease, according to the National MS Society. The Mendoza Family Fund, which launched on April 23 \u2014 the same day that Mendoza went No. 1 in the NFL Draft to the Raiders \u2014 has also raised over $60,000, not counting the Mendoza family\u2019s personal donation to UM.<\/p>\n In total, the family has helped raise over $944,000 to help end MS, according to the National MS Society.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies like mine may never understand every clinical trial, research project or scientific breakthrough, but we understand what your work means,\u201d a teary-eyed Fernando said shortly after hugging Nelson. \u201cIt means families like mine understand that they have the best working beside them, it means that parents have more reasons to believe they\u2019re going to have treatments and cures in their lifetime, and it means that sons and daughters like myself and my brothers believe in a better future than past.\u201d<\/p>\n Mendoza\u2019s decision to select UM to be the fund\u2019s first official recipient is a full-circle moment for the South Florida native. His mom, Elsa, once played on the Miami Hurricanes women\u2019s tennis team<\/a>, according to USA Today.<\/p>\n Mendoza has his own history with the U.<\/p>\n Mendoza, who was denied a walk-on spot<\/a> to play for the Miami Hurricanes, earlier this year led the Indiana Hoosiers to victory against the Hurricanes, defeating the team 27-21 during the CFP National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium, securing Indiana\u2019s first national title.<\/p>\n \u201cTo all those families living with MS, you are not alone. There is hope. There are people like Dr. Nelson and her team dedicating their life to the fight,\u201d the second-generation Cuban American said in Spanish. \u201cThere are always reasons to believe in a better tomorrow. Thank you and may God bless you.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 8:04 PM.<\/p>\n Michelle Marchante<\/a><\/p>\n Miami Herald<\/p>\n Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health\u2019s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald\u2019s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.\u00a0
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