Glen Ellyn police chief says Jimmy Buffett saved his life

The late Jimmy Buffett is best remembered for tropical rock hits including “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” but Glen Ellyn Police Chief Philip Norton fondly recalls the singer for more personal reasons.

“Jimmy Buffett saved my life,” Norton told the Village Board last month.

In a news report about Buffet’s death last year from Merkel cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, Norton heard a doctor recommend that you should visit a doctor “if you have a pimple that won’t heal.”

“And I heard that and thought, ‘Well, you know, I had this thing that I thought was from shaving my head and it was an irritation,’” Norton said.

He got it checked out and that “thing” turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma, a highly treatable form of skin cancer. A procedure known as Mohs surgery followed to remove it.

That was the easy part.

A nurse cleaning him up after the procedure noticed two small, red and purple spots on the left side of Norton’s face. A doctor advised having a plastic surgeon look at them.

Those spots, Norton later learned, were symptoms of amelanotic melanomas – a deadlier form of skin cancer. The chief underwent surgery to remove them, followed by chemotherapy. Now he’s on a six-month course of immunotherapy.

Norton had to take 10 weeks off work during his treatment. Back on the job, he’s sporting a large scar that extends from under his ear to the back side of his neck.

Norton said police officers can spend hours in the sun’s ultraviolet rays unexpectedly, such as when they are called to secure the scene of a crime or direct traffic at a crash site.

“We’re killing these guys,” he said. “We’re exposing them to something dangerous.”

While Norton can’t say for sure that he got cancer from on-duty sun exposure, he wants to make sure his officers and staff are protected.

That’s why he’s installed sunscreen dispensers in the locker rooms at the Glen Ellyn police station. Officers are encouraged to apply the 30 SPF lotion before heading out for their shifts.

He’s also encouraged officers to swap baseball-style caps – which don’t protect ears and the back of necks – for floppy bucket hats the department has bought for them.

“We’re so stuck sometimes in the past with formality of uniform, not practicality,” Norton said.

In addition, Glen Ellyn has installed sunscreen dispensers at its public works department and a village-owned golf course.

Norton is scheduled to speak to the DuPage County Chiefs of Police Association about his efforts. He’s already heard from a fellow chief who has booked an appointment for a skin check.

He notes the sunscreen and new hats are optional.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. But the response so far has been very good,” Norton said.

• Daily Herald staff writer Katlyn Smith contributed to this story.

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