By 1996, the boy who once only imagined himself flying in precise formation among the world?s most elite pilots, was a veteran F-16 fighter pilot himself. At age 36, he was on track to become part of the Thunderbirds demonstration squadron ? until a flight physical in June of that year revealed he had thyroid cancer.

In hindsight, he knew something was wrong well before a doctor diagnosed him with thyroid cancer.

First, there had been a sudden loss of energy. Venable placed a premium on staying in top physical condition, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to drag himself into the gym. "It?s a mental challenge to go to the gym every day," Venable said. "The challenge was even tougher because I didn?t have the energy. Eventually, I just stopped."

Then there was the stabbing pain in his throat that woke him from his sleep. "It was like someone was sticking a knife down my throat," he said.

Thyroid cancer is a disease that affects the butterfly-shaped gland that produces hormones to help regulate body functions. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates 18,400 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year, and 1,200 people will die from the disease.

For reasons that are not completely known, thyroid cancers occur more often in women than in men. Most cases of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are found in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Benign thyroid nodules and thyroid cancers can occur in people of all ages. Treatment options include surgery to remove all or a portion of the thyroid, radioactive iodine treatment, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.

For Venable, the experience was not his first with cancer. His mother died of cancer when he was 19, and his sister died of ovarian cancer. "I had always thought that I was susceptible," he said. "It may sound funny, but once I knew what it was, I started to feel better. I knew what I had to do. I had to beat cancer."

Two weeks after his diagnosis, Venable underwent surgery to have his thyroid removed. Because the thyroid plays an important role in producing hormones, he now relies on daily hormone therapy to regulate his body functions. As he recovered from surgery with his family and friends around him, Venable had a moment when he allowed himself to believe the disease had put an end to his childhood dream. He remembers telling a friend, "I guess I?ll never be a Thunderbird."

While doctors told him the cancer was "widely invasive," tests on the removed thyroid and surrounding tissue showed it had not spread to any other parts of his body. But to resume his career as a fighter pilot, Venable would have to convince the Air Force that he was fit to fly F-16s despite his illness. "I?m a fighter pilot. Fighter pilots only want to fly fighter jets," he said. "The first hurdle I had was to prove to everyone that I beat cancer."

He resumed his strict exercise routine and took command of his recovery. Venable refused to accept that he was no longer capable of flying an F-16. "When you have cancer, no one can beat cancer but you, not your doctor," he said. "I had to say, ?no,? I am going to get back into a fighter cockpit."

Eventually, Venable climbed into the cockpit again, fulfilling his dream by becoming wing commander of the Thunderbirds.

"John Venable is a hero of mine," said retired Brigadier Gen. John W. Rutledge, who was Venable?s superior officer while both were stationed in England in 1997. "He is the perfect example of a person who overcomes cancer and presses on with life."

Looking back, Venable credits the Air Force for taking a chance on him. With so much invested in training pilots, it would have been easy for the Air Force to decide against making him a Thunderbird. "I was happy to see the Air Force take a chance," he said.