NEWS

Brandon Phillips, a polo player who survived Stage 4 cancer, shares his journey from the field to founding Polo For Life, a foundation that supports families battling pediatric cancer. On September 14, he will host Polo For Purpose at MB Polo Club in Westbury, New York.

Phillips, 46, is an experienced polo player with over 30 seasons in Wellington, Florida. Having played and won the most prestigious tournaments in America, polo has given him more than he ever imagined. Beyond the polo field, Phillps’ most remarkable victory is his survival of Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a battle he fought and won as a teenager. Diagnosed at just 14 years old, Phillips faced a daunting prognosis, yet his resilience and determination saw him through months of intensive chemotherapy. His experience shaped his life and inspired him to create Polo For Life, a foundation dedicated to supporting children battling cancer and their families.

Today, Phillips spends his summers, managing MB Polo Club and playing for Dracarys polo team. Alongside his wife, Andrea and their two young children, Ocean and Onyx, Phillips continues to immerse himself in the sport he loves while making a significant impact off the field through his philanthropic efforts.

On Saturday, September 14, Phillips will host the first-ever “New York edition” of the Polo For Purpose. This event is more than just a polo match; it’s a chance for the local community to unite and support a cause close to Phillips’ heart. The funds raised will benefit pediatric cancer patients and their families through the Child Life Services Program at Stony Brook Cancer Center, continuing Phillips’s mission to give back and provide hope to those facing the toughest battles.

Brandon, tell us about your life and how you began playing polo. Did you come from a family of polo players?
“I grew up north of Toronto, in Canada. Although no one in my family played polo professionally, we were deeply involved in the equestrian world. My uncles represented Canada in show jumping at the Olympic Games, my cousins practiced it professionally and my grandmother was even inducted into the Canadian Horse Hall of Fame a couple of years before she passed away. My father, Ken, started playing polo for fun in his 20s and also practiced show jumping. He began playing at Toronto Polo Club, which was only 10 minutes from our house, but everything was amateur then; there was no professional polo there. We played with five or six polo ponies, and it was something we did on weekends. My brother Todd, who is 10 years older than me, also was playing, and I joined in when I was 11 or 12 years old.

In 1995, when I was 17, I got a call from White Birch to play the 22- and 26-goal season with them in Wellington. Honestly, it wasn't something I expected, nor was I considering pursuing polo professionally. My brother is best friends with Todd Offen, who was the team manager at the time, and they needed a player with a 0-goal handicap, so they called me. Suddenly, I found myself playing with Adolfo Cambiaso, Mariano Aguerre and Peter Grant. In Florida, we won the 26-goal International Open and lost the [USPA] Gold Cup final in overtime against Ellerston, which had Bautista Heguy and Gonzalo Pieres. Later, in New York, we won the C.V. Whitney Cup and lost the U.S. Open [Polo Championship] final to Outback, which had a strong team with Julio Arellano, Guillermo “Memo” Gracida, Sebastián Merlos and Tim Gannon. I played with them for three years, and in '98, I joined Memo and Carlos Gracida, with whom I spent another three or four years. By then, I had a 4-goal handicap and although I was already a professional, you could say I started my organization.

I reached a 6-goal handicap and am now back at 4 goals. Those were great years when I had the opportunity to play at the highest level. It's been 30 years since I started playing professionally.”

Were you already playing polo when you were diagnosed with cancer?
“The exact date was June 7, 1992. I felt my left leg a bit swollen. Since I had been playing rugby, ice hockey, polo and soccer in the days leading up to it, I thought it was just a sports-related issue. I went to the hospital, and they couldn’t tell if it was a blood clot or something else, so they sent me to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, a well-known hospital in the city. There, they discovered I had a tumor wrapped around my left ureter, which had blocked off my left kidney and was growing and pushing downward, causing discomfort in my leg. It was Stage 4 cancer, and they gave me a 50/50 chance of survival. They also told me that they would likely have to remove my kidney and left leg. It had only been three days since I had played soccer when I received that news.

The chemotherapy was very aggressive from the beginning, and I lost about 30 pounds during the four months I was there. Fortunately, it worked from the start, and not only did I survive, but they were also able to save my kidney and leg. By the end of the year, I was back to playing basketball and in 1993, I was back on horseback. In the spring of 1994, I received the call from White Birch to play with them the following season in Wellington.”

Did sports, particularly polo, help you during your recovery?
“I couldn’t do anything at first because I was very weak, but I think it helped because I was enjoying playing polo when I was diagnosed. It made me angry and in a way, polo gave me a reason to look forward. Although, as a kid, my dream was to pursue ice hockey professionally, I realized that with the illness, I had lost a lot of ground. On the other hand, in polo, it doesn’t matter how young or old you are; you always have a chance. Two years after the initial diagnosis, I was already playing professional polo.”

Polo For Life has become a significant part of your life. What inspired you to start the foundation and how has it evolved since its inception?
“For a long time, I didn’t want to talk about what I had gone through. When I started playing professionally, I didn’t want anyone to know; I wanted to forget about it. One day, for a charity opportunity at [International Polo Club Palm Beach], the Leukemia Society approached the club about organizing a charity match. That’s when they reached out to me after learning about my experience. After 15 years of trying to leave the issue behind, I realized I needed to grow up, talk about my past and see how I could help others going through the same thing I did. At the first event held on Field 2, we raised $40,000, then $200,000 at the next one and we eventually raised more than $400,000. As I saw all the money we were raising, I kept asking myself, ‘Where is this money going?’ Although I knew it was going to a good cause, for research and other things, I wanted to see and meet the people we were helping. That’s when I decided to start Polo For Life in 2018.”

What kind of assistance do you provide?
“The event where we raise funds is called Polo For Purpose, which we've always held in Florida, and the foundation is Polo For Life. We have different beneficiaries, from foundations to direct aid. During the pandemic, for example, we paid mortgages, rents and helped parents who couldn’t work during that period. We've seen significant growth, with each event surpassing the previous one. A couple of years ago, we celebrated surpassing the million-dollar mark. Last year, despite the rain, it was a memorable night. Over the past 10 years, we’ve raised close to $4 million.”

What are the next steps for Polo For Life?
“Since we started in 2015, the event has always been in Florida, but this is the first year we’re going to do it in New York. My idea is to hold one in Los Angeles starting next year and if everything goes well, to have those three annual events from 2025 onwards. The funds raised at each event will help organizations in each area.”

What are you most proud of regarding Polo For Life?
“In general, I come across people who tell me we helped them and that’s something I love to hear. I don’t take a dollar from any of this. Everything goes to the patients and their families. I do it because I want to, and I could say that ‘my payment’ is hearing the success stories. Being able to help people every day.”

With the upcoming event, what are your goals for this year's fundraiser?
“This is our first year at MB Polo Club and it probably won’t be as massive as what we have in Wellington. My goal is for people and companies in the area to get to know us. We’ll have a polo match and a luncheon; it will be small, but we want to make it nice and hopefully, the event will eventually become as big as it is in Florida. Two years ago, for example, we had an elephant; the events are becoming more elaborate and we’re building a connection with the local community.”

How do you see the relationship between polo events like this and raising awareness for causes like pediatric cancer?
“Charity events can sometimes be boring. Here we have a polo match, which is fun and, for many, it’s their first time seeing one, so it’s already something different. Then we have a party where people can donate to help us. We try to make it as fun as possible, so the event grows and people want to come back.”

How can the polo community and beyond continue to support your efforts through Polo For Life?
“They can donate on our website, participate in our events, or call me directly; we’re always available.”