When Eastern staff member Mike Hackett found out he had cancer, he thought he was going to die.

At first, he just seemed sick. His tongue and tonsils were swollen. He went to the doctor, had a biopsy and went home. Then the doctor called.

“The first thing I thought of was to get your things in order,” Hackett said.

This was in 2004.

Hackett has worked at Eastern on and off for 18 years, first in the Audio Visual Department, starting in 1986. He then left for two years in 1995 and returned in 1997 to work in Mail Services.

“Mail’s in my blood,” he said, explaining his dad worked as Charleston’s assistant postmaster while growing up, and his brother, Butch, later followed his dad and is now Charleston’s postmaster.

“I’ve always liked working with mail to make sure to get everybody their packages, working with the people at Eastern,” Hackett said. “The supervisors and people I work with are like family. It’s great to go to work.”

Hackett was diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoma, which is most often determined by swollen lymph nodes when no infection is present.

“You felt your heart drop because that was the last time you were expecting,” Hackett said about his diagnosis. “I felt healthy. There’s a little scariness until you find out about the disease.”

The type of lymphoma Hackett has is not normally terminal. He described it more as a chronic disease.

After treatment in 2004, Hackett’s cancer went into remission. But this summer during a routine check up, Hackett’s doctor discovered that the cancer had returned.

“Here I thought it was over with and then it came back,” he said.

The Men’s Auxiliary Club of the Veterans of Foreign Wars is sponsoring a benefit to help Hackett recoup out-of-pocket medial expenses and lost wages.

Hackett missed six to eight weeks of work this time, and he depleted much of his medical leave the first time he had cancer, his brother, Butch, said.

“It’s something that you can get inspiration from, the ordeals that he’s been through,” Butch Hackett said.

The benefit will take place from 12:30 to 5 p.m., Sunday at the Charleston VFW. A chicken dinner will be served and carry out is available.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. They can be purchased in the Eastern mailroom or by calling Butch Hackett’s cell phone at (217) 348-1112.

In addition, a silent auction will take place.

The featured item is Dallas Cowboy shirt signed by quarterback Tony Romo who is an Eastern alumnus. Other items include Eastern football tickets, Eastern season basketball tickets, a football signed by Eastern’s football team, a basketball signed by Eastern players, and three .22-caliber revolvers.

Jerri Lang, a part-time mail messenger operator, has filled in for Hackett while he’s on sick leave. She jokingly calls him “rubber band man” because he shots rubber bands at the other workers in fun. She said that even though he has not been feeling well, he still offers to help people.

“As much as I love doing his job, I can’t wait for him to come back,” she said.