Video: West Alabama Deputy Fighting Cancer

MARION COUNTY, Ala. (WCBI) — One West Alabama deputy fights bad guys for a living, but this time he’s after his worst one yet – cancer.

Marion County Deputy Michael Butler has been off work for about two months now, and could be out for a year.

That’s why his law enforcement colleagues and the community are stepping in to help.

“He loves his job. Loves it, so he’s ready to bust this cancer, so he can get back to busting crime,” said Miranda Butler, the deputy’s wife.

Butler has been in law enforcement for 13 years – the last four with the Marion County, Alabama sheriff’s department.

He’s had to fight plenty of criminals for his job, but the toughest one yet has been cancer.

“Right now it’s really rough,” Miranda said. “They’ve told us that he has a long, rough road ahead of him.”

Butler was diagnosed with a rare form a cancer back in March.

He has Stage 3 Nasopharyngeal Cancer, which is in both his neck, and throat.

“They have no idea why he got this cancer,” Miranda said. “He doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t dip. He doesn’t drink. Those are all things that could have caused it. He doesn’t do any of that. They said it was just meant for him to have it.”

Butler’s absence has been tough on the tight-knit sheriff’s department, which only has about 30 employees.

“We’ve had to pull together,” said Chief Deputy Jeff Davis. “We’ve had to have some guys come in and catch extra shifts, and be able to fill in the gaps. Everybody misses him. We’d like to see him come back soon.”

“Michael is a good young Christian man,” said Sheriff Kevin Williams. “He’s a bright shining light in this dark world that we live in, and everybody likes him. I mean, he’s a plus to being in my department, and I’m glad to have him.”

For now, Butler’s colleagues want to help him and his family, holding various fundraisers – from gun raffles, to tournaments.

“We’ve been amazed at the support that we received, that Michael’s received, we’ve all received,” Sheriff Williams said. “The phone calls, the letters, the e-mails, all of it adds up. It’s amazing to me how this spread.”

Miranda says the family is grateful for the community’s support, but it’s their faith that’s ultimately getting them through this.

“We don’t really know why he’s going through it,” Miranda said. “We’re not going to question God why. We know that there is a plan. And I asked Michael, I said, ‘Is there anything you want me to say?’ And he said, ‘God will get the glory from my story.’ So we have our faith in God, and we know that everything’s going to be OK.”

The Marion County sheriff’s department plans to hold a golf tournament next month to benefit Deputy Butler and his family.

If you’d like to help, call the department at 205-921-2101.

You can also donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/michaelbutler.