Brookfield golfer calls USGA debut part of 'bonus life' after cancer battle
Brookfield golfer calls USGA debut part of 'bonus life'
Brookfield?s Bruce Henning battled leukemia, underwent chemotherapy and received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from his son, and after years of recovery, qualified for the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur.
BROOKFIELD, Wis. - Every week at Tee-Aire Golf in Brookfield, that's where you'll find Bruce Henning.
Like most golfers, he had a dream.
What they're saying:
"When I was in high school, I guess I always wanted to play professionally," said Brookfield golfer Bruce Henning.
But naturally, his career pivoted in a different direction. Henning became a teacher and coach at Oconomowoc Middle and High Schools for over two decades, but he still had the itch to play golf on a bigger state.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
"My son started to play, and he made it into three USGA events and I was caddying for him, and so after the first time I went with him, it was something," said Henning. "I'm like I want to be a player for once too, so not just the caddy."
Before he could achieve his dream of playing at his first USGA event, life threw a wrench in those plans.
"You just never think about it and then all of a sudden, it totally changes your life in a split second," said Henning.
What we know:
During a routine doctor's visit in 2017, Henning learned he had been diagnosed with Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow.
Two years later, that cancer had transformed into Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
"That's when it kind of hit," said Henning. "This is serious stuff."
From there, he endured six months of eight-week chemotherapy treatments.
"My family was there constantly," said Henning. "My best friends were there constantly. They kept me going and then thinking about the future, seeing grandkids, or playing golf competitively again or seeing my kids get married, the really, really big things in life, that's what really kept me going."
He also lived by the phrase "just trust". Those two words were so powerful that he had them etched onto a bracelet that he wore.
That trust was tested during the next step of his treatment because Henning needed a bone marrow transplant.
After an extensive six-month search, it came down to his son Kyle.
"My son was my last hope and if he wouldn't have been able to be used, then I would've just had whatever time I had left," said Henning. "Without him, I wouldn't be here today."
Transplant successful, Henning remains a big advocate of getting more people to be bone marrow donors. He also urges people to get their yearly physicals too.
Dig deeper:
That selfless act from his son is why Henning has what he now calls his "bonus life."
"Six and a half years here we are later, enjoying my bonus time," said Henning. "Live every day to its fullest because tomorrow's not given to you."
Four months after his transplant in 2019, he swung for the fences. After all, Henning was eyeing a Wisconsin State Amateur qualifier.
"I was so weak, and I hit the ball nowhere, but I shot an 80," said Henning. "I said that was the greatest 80 I’ve ever shot because I was back."
With the support of his doctors, family, friends and the Oconomowoc community, who went out to raise money in support of Henning, he was on the road to recovery.
For the next few years, he tried to qualify for his first USGA event.
Local perspective:
This past July, at the Wisconsin Country Club, Henning played the round of his life. That round, where he shot 3-under 69, was good enough to earn him a spot at the U.S. Senior Amateur.
"I was so happy that I was back to being the kind of golfer I wanted to be," said Henning. "I never knew if it was going to come back after the illness. When it did, that's kind of where the emotion hit me where I kind of said hey, maybe I can really do this and make some of those dreams come true."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
A month later, Henning made his USGA Championship debut at the 70th U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, TX.
He made sure to soak it all in, despite how he finished.
"I ended up missing the cut by quite a few strokes, but the smile never left my face," said Henning.
Bucket list item now complete, Henning made sure to leave his "just trust" bracelet behind with a USGA member while he was at the U.S. Senior Amateur.
"I said I'm coming back to get it either next year or in the future, so hopefully we can be fortunate enough to do something like that again," said Henning.
Until then, it's all about enjoying his bonus life to its fullest.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by the FOX6 sports team.