From a small-town horse farm in King City, Ontario, to the competitive polo fields of the U.S., professional polo player Brandon Phillips has built a life around determination, grit, and an unrelenting passion for the sport. But beneath his success lies a personal journey of survival that transformed not only his perspective on life but also his mission far beyond the field.
“I grew up around horses — it was a horsey community,” Phillips recalls. “Like every Canadian kid, I was also playing hockey, but polo became part of my life in the summers.”
At 17, an opportunity to play professionally in Florida marked a turning point in his athletic career. But just a few years earlier, at only 14 years old, Phillips faced a challenge no child should ever have to endure — a diagnosis of cancer.
A Life-Changing Diagnosis
On June 7, 1992, after a weekend of rugby, polo, and soccer, Brandon woke up with a painful, swollen leg. What was initially suspected to be a sports injury turned out to be something far more serious: a grapefruit-sized tumor wrapped around his kidney and pressing on the lymph nodes in his leg.
Doctors didn’t mince words — he’d likely lose his leg and kidney, and possibly his life. “They told my parents I had about six weeks to live,” Phillips shares. “I remember waking up from surgery and feeling the port in my chest, and I knew — things weren’t good.”
Over the next four and a half months, he endured aggressive chemotherapy under what’s known as the Berlin Protocol, multiple spinal taps, and near-constant hospital stays. The tumor couldn’t be removed surgically, so his body had to withstand repeated chemical warfare.
“It was like being hit with a baseball bat,” he says. “The second you were strong enough to stand, they’d hit you again.”
But he survived. By Christmas, he was rejoining his school basketball team. By the new year, he was back on horseback — physically weakened but spiritually unbreakable.
From Patient to Purpose
For years, Phillips kept that chapter of his life private. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want anyone to know,” he admits. But in his 30s, when the International Polo Club partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for a charity event, something shifted.
“I realized it was time to grow up and give back,” he says. “I knew what families were going through. I had to help.”
That first event raised $40,000. By year three, it had grown to nearly $400,000. But Phillips wanted to take it further — to directly impact families, not just fund institutions. That’s when he founded Polo for Life, his own 501(c)(3) nonprofit, giving him control over how every dollar is spent.
Since then, Polo for Life has raised over $4 million, providing financial assistance, tutoring, therapy programs, and more for children with cancer and their families. During the pandemic, the foundation stepped up with three months of financial aid — paying rent, mortgages, insurance, and utilities directly to creditors so families could focus on healing.
“I didn’t want to be paying for office supplies in a big nonprofit’s headquarters,” Phillips says. “I wanted to know exactly where the money was going.”
Upcoming: Polo for a Purpose — September 7
Phillips’ next event, Polo for a Purpose, takes place Saturday, September 7 at Bethpage State Park in New York — a field with special meaning to him. “It’s where I played my first U.S. Open final in 1995,” he says. “So to return for this cause — it’s full circle.”
The event promises an exciting afternoon both on and off the field:
- VIP Experience ($200): Includes food, drinks, entertainment, and access to exclusive raffles and auctions.
- Tailgating ($50 per car): Guests can park fieldside and set up their own polo picnic.
- Family Zone: A kid-friendly area with bounce houses, face painting, and more.
- Polo Match at 3 p.m: Featuring top professionals and sponsors in a thrilling game for a cause.
Get Involved
To learn more, purchase tickets, or donate to Polo for Life, visit poloforlife.org or follow along on Instagram at @poloforlife_org.
