NORFOLK, Va. — Frank McKenna was shocked in 2016 when he learned he had stage four lung cancer after going to the doctor for a nagging cough.
“I’m a non-smoker and have worked as a personal trainer working in gyms since 1990,” McKenna said. “The follow-up scans showed I had cancer all over my body."
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Doctors gave him a four percent chance of surviving five years.
“I just had in my mind, 'I’m going to beat that. I’m going to make history because I’m going to beat that four percent.' Now, it's been eight years and I’m doing fine,” said McKenna.
His slogan is "win the day, make history." He believes by moving, even if it's just a little each day, anyone can beat the odds and make history.
“If you can just move around in your kitchen, move around when you’re outside or in your house, that’s so important physically and mentally,” said McKenna.
He believes putting fitness first helped him while he was going through treatment. So, he started a program at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center called Wellness Beyond Cancer that he co-coordinates with yoga instructor Ann Stevens.
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“It's a six-week program that we have. It's free to the public if you are a cancer survivor or going through treatment, as long as you’ve had your doctor sign off on it,” said Stevens.
The first half of the class is movement and strength training, followed by yoga and rest.
Brock oncologist Dr. Thomas Alberico tells me patients who incorporate physical fitness and yoga into their regimen tend to have better outcomes.
“There have been a couple of studies that have shown it may reduce the potential for recurrence in breast cancer and colon cancer,” said Dr. Alberico.
He says the benefits are both physical and mental.
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“Both exercise and yoga can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, so it makes you feel better. It helps sleep—and we know sleep is very important for healing,” said Dr. Alberico.
Those who take the weekly class say it's been a big part of their healing and outlook.
“The way that it's organized and how caring all the instructors are and how knowledgeable they are—it just makes a huge difference. You just feel guided and protected and safe,” said participant Donna Gwaltney.
“Cancer is not the end of your movement. You can move through your cancer diagnosis and keep yourself strong both physically and mentally,” said McKenna.
Beating the odds and helping others win the day and make history makes Frank McKenna and the Sentara Wellness Beyond Cancer program Positively Hampton Roads.
For more information on the Wellness Beyond Cancer program, click here.
