A tradition rooted in friendship, loss and purpose is set to return this spring, as the Rhythm Forever Foundation prepares for its annual McBalls Run.
The Hewlett-based foundation was created by Marc Isseks in 2023, in memory of his best friend, Scott Bragin, whose nickname was McBalls, and who died of colon cancer in 2019, at age 48. What began as a way to honor Bragin’s life has grown into a community-driven nonprofit supporting colon cancer research and awareness of Lynch syndrome, which also affected Bragin.
Lynch syndrome is an inherited genetic condition that increases the risk of developing cancer at a young age. Bragin fought his Stage Four colon cancer for six and a half years.
“It’s been a labor of love for us to run this foundation,” Isseks said. “Scott meant so much to so many people. How could we not do something to honor him and his legacy, and at the same time to prevent other people from enduring the nightmare of the horrendous disease?”
The foundation is named Rhythm Forever in honor of Bragin’s profession as a DJ and his company, Rhythm of the Night Entertainment. The foundation’s goal is to let the music live on.
Isseks met Bragin’s wife, Robin, at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn in their sophomore year. He met Bragin when they were seniors, which was when Robin and Scott started dating.
“By senior year Scott had already began his DJ business,” Isseeks recalled. “He turned hosting block parties in Canarsie to a full-fledged business while he was in high school.”
Isseks said it was like worlds collided when he met Bragin, and they became friends very quickly. “He was a huge influence on me in terms of what independence looked like,” Isseks said. “I always looked up to him in that way.”
The McBalls Run offers a virtual 4.06-mile run or walk, scheduled for April 4. Participants can complete the distance anytime, anywhere, making the event accessible to supporters both locally and beyond Long Island. The distance represents Bragin’s birthday, April 6.
“Were trying to get this bigger every year,” Robin Bragin said. “My husband was such a larger-than-life personality. I feel like there’s a hole in everyone’s lives that he’s met.”
The foundation, she said, keeps her husband’s memory alive. “I feel, as the years go on, people kind of forget,” Robin said. “He was my high school sweetheart, and it’s not fair that the world goes on when someone passes away. I feel like, on his birthday, we celebrate his life while making people aware of this disease.”
The run/walk remains the foundation’s signature fundraiser, uniting participants through a shared commitment to the cause. Those who register by March 1 will receive an exclusive “Run Your Balls Off 2026” T-shirt, with organizers noting that even those who choose not to run or walk can take part by supporting the mission and wearing the shirt.
Donations are accepted year-round. Supporters can also help expand the foundation’s reach by following Rhythm Forever on Instagram at rhythm.forever, and sharing its message.
“I feel like the world needs to know who Scott Bragin was,” his widow said. “He made me at better person, and he changed my life for the better.”
At its core, organizers say, Rhythm Forever is about more than loss. Ian Isseks, Marc’s son, who was 16 when Bragin died, said he felt as if he’d lost an uncle, because he was a part of his life since he was born. Ian oversees Rhythm Forever’s marketing and communications.
“We all say [that] before Scott had kids of his own, he was a second father or uncle to a lot of his friend’s children,” Ian said. “Especially to me and my sister. We had a really great relationship with him.”
Ian said that people from around the world will take part in the McBalls Run. “It’s important that this mission and its message gets out, because it’s impacting people everywhere,” he said. “What I admired most about Scott was the way he carried himself and the way that he lived.”
The foundation emphasizes unity over adversity — encouraging supporters to come together, defined not by disease, but by the determination to fight it, while keeping music and memory alive.
“We need to talk about Scott, keep his memory alive and stop this from destroying families,” Robin said of colon cancer. “I still feel like it was yesterday that he was here.”
For more information and registration details, go to RhythmForever.com.
