To Frank McKenna, movement is medicine.
His gym, Better Beach Bodies, is unassuming — a small shack in the wooded West Neck area of Virginia Beach. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it. Inside, though, is a mecca of movement. Exercise equipment lines the entire space. Body builders pose in photographs on the walls.
“When you look at outside, you think, ‘how can there be a gym in there?’ until you open the doors. Well, that’s just like me,” said McKenna.
The 65-year-old has spent decades in the exercise and personal training space, but after being diagnosed with cancer, staying active has become even more important. Now, about a decade into his diagnosis, McKenna is using his gym to be part of the healing process for others.
Frank McKenna, survivor of stage-4 lung cancer and owner of Beach Better Bodies says don’t judge the gym from the outside. The gym is well equipped on West Neck Rd. in Virginia Beach Thursday, Nov.13,2025.. Bill Tiernan/ For The Virginian-Pilot
McKenna thought he had bronchitis in 2016. It started as a cough, and he thought maybe it was allergies. After seeing doctors, scans showed fluid in McKenna’s lungs. Two liters were removed from McKenna’s left lung and sent for testing.
It wasn’t bronchitis. It was Stage 4 lung cancer, and had metastasized.
“It was in both lungs, and then other places — in my bones, my thigh, my shoulder, my back, my groin, just a bunch of different places,” he said. “Because I was in good shape, and because I was healthy and never smoked, my doctor had me do biomarker testing to find out the cause of the cancer, and it came back that I have a specific (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) mutation.”
An EGFR is a protein on the surface of cells that helps them grow. A mutation in the gene that codes for the EGFR protein can make cells grow too much, which can cause cancer, according to the American Lung Association. Thanks to cancer research, McKenna did not need chemotherapy or radiation. Instead, he takes a specialized drug that targets cancer stemming from EGFR mutations.
“I started to get my strength back,” he said. “I started to get my life back.”
He has taken that pill since his diagnosis, and in 2018, scans showed no evidence of the disease. Since then, McKenna has advocated for research in lung cancer treatments, and in 2019, he was certified as a cancer exercise specialist, working with clients to find opportunities and ways to move during treatments.
November is lung cancer awareness month, and McKenna has made it his mission to encourage advocacy and research investments.
Frank McKenna, survivor of stage-4 lung cancer and owner of Beach Better Bodies gym on West Neck Rd. in Virginia Beach Thursday, Nov.13,2025. McKenna is a personal trainer and owns Beach Better Bodies. Bill Tiernan/ For The Virginian-Pilot
Each client has limitations, but even simple movements like taking extra steps during TV commercial breaks or a couple squats while waiting for food in the microwave can make a difference, he said. Many of McKenna’s clients are older adults, so he has become an expert at finding what works best for each person that comes into his gym.
McKenna operates under the motto “Win the Day and Make History.”
He sells merchandise with his motto, and all the money goes toward lung cancer research. He also remains heavily involved with the American Lung Association, creating training and video series about exercise and movement for those in the lung cancer community. He has also done public speaking engagements about the benefits of exercise coinciding with cancer treatment.
Lung cancer can happen to anyone, McKenna said, so he encourages everyone to be proactive with their health by incorporating healthy exercise habits and clean foods.
“When I was diagnosed with cancer, all the doctors would say, ‘You’re in incredible shape. Keep doing what you’re doing,’” McKenna said. “That always stuck with me, to keep doing what I’m doing, but now let me take other people along in this journey, too.”
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
