EDITORIAL/Pray for Mayor Mary

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler has been a stalwart for the good people of Madison — even Madison County, — and she is asking for our prayers as she faces the biggest battle of her life.

Hawkins-Butler, in an exclusive interview with the Journal, announced this week that she is battling breast cancer.

“I believe in the power of prayer,” she said, fighting back tears. “Prayer is more powerful than anything. I am taking treatments, and I’ve asked the Lord to bless the treatment with His healing hands and to make me whole. I do truly believe there is more for me to do in Madison and I want Him to use me.”

We believe there’s a lot more for Mayor Mary to do as well and join in urging prayer that a sovereign God will heal our Mayor if it be His will.

Hawkins-Butler, who has served as mayor for more than four decades and is the second-longest female mayor in the country, often proclaims that Madison is the city built on prayer. 

The mayor has had her fair share of battles, too, political and personal, but now she is facing the toughest battle of her life.

She explained how her illness played out. In the summer of 2023, the mayor, still caring for her now-late husband, Jim Butler, knew something wasn’t right.

Not wanting to add the stress of her personal health concerns to his, she avoided her concerns and hoped whatever it was would go away. 

Jim Butler went home to be with the Lord in August 2023.

“My Jim was sick a long time and the last 18 months he was not doing well,” she said. “When I lost him, that was a heartache, a different kind of heartache. He was my best friend, he was my confidant, he was my heartthrob. Not long after I lost him, I knew there was something wrong with me. I had not felt good, I was tired.”

The mix of emotions were coupled with her life experiences when it comes to health, as she pointed to the loss of both her parents to cancer at an early age. 

She talked about her father dying of leukemia and burying him on Christmas Eve. Three months later, her mother was diagnosed with the same form of leukemia. 

“I’ve always had a fear of going to the doctor,” she said. “I just pretended there was nothing wrong. I just didn’t want to go. But, something within my being gave me the courage to go to the doctor this time.”

The mayor said she feels she owes the people an explanation.

“They elected me to be their mayor and I owe them an explanation of why I’ve missed a ribbon-cutting or missed something at their school and someone was there in my place,” she said. “I plan to go back to those businesses and welcome them personally. As soon as I can, I plan to go see my children in the schools. It’s important they know.”

She thanked the aldermen and department heads for helping run the city in her absence, but she said she wanted to let the residents know that she will continue to work to keep Madison “the gem that it is.”

“I had a long meeting this morning, and I’m always on my phone,” she said. “It’s in my DNA. You can’t take Madison out of my heart. Even when I was at the clinic, I wanted to make sure that our Madison was OK.”

Madison is hers and the people are grateful for her leadership and courage.

“Whatever comes of this, I want it to glorify God,” she said. “This city has been blessed in so many ways.”

Mayor Mary believes in the power of prayer and that’s refreshing to see in our elected officials.

“When things get tough, I find sometimes I can’t pray,” she said. “When you feel like you can’t pray, sometimes the evil one does that to you. When we can’t pray for ourselves, there are those who pray for us. I know that people will pray for me through this, and I ask for those prayers.”

Part of the mayor’s aim in coming forward is awareness to help and encourage others.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, more than 360,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. When caught early, the survival rate is 99 percent. 

Learn about the signs and early detection. For a list of resources, visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation at nationalbreastcancer.org.

A personal illness is just that, personal, so it’s thoughtful and brave for the Mayor to step forward and share her struggle, which will help others.

Pray for Mayor Mary!