Wall Firm Pays Mortgage For A Year For Middletown Couple, As Wife Battles Stage 4 Cancer

WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ — Cory and Heather Candrilli thought they were headed down to Wall Township Tuesday morning for a final interview on receiving some financial assistance on their mortgage.

Instead, they were given the news: The mortgage on the home they own in the Belford section of Middletown will be paid for the next year, at a total of nearly $45,000.

The donation was made by McLaughlin Wealth Management, a wealth advisory firm located off Rt. 138 in Wall. The couple was selected because Heather Candrilli, 36, is battling stage 4 colon cancer, while the couple also raises their two young sons, ages 5 and 2.

Cory was overcome with emotion Tuesday morning. His shoulders shook and he covered his eyes to stop himself from crying.

"It's my job to worry about the financial stability of our home. We're a team, but it's not something that she needs to worry about," said Cory. "So, it was a stressor that I had. So to get the funds for her, for me, for our kids. I can't even tell you how amazing this is."

"To have a sense of normalcy in our house. When I tell you this is relief — this is huge."

It was McLaughlin's officer manager, Justine Dmytrow, who first stumbled on the story of Cory and Heather Candrilli.

Dmytrow is originally from Staten Island, and so are the Candrillis. The Staten Island Advance was the first to report last year that Candrilli was diagnosed with cancer, after health insurers refused to pay for a colonoscopy because she was too young and seemed healthy. The couple since relocated to Middletown, where their oldest attends Bayshore Elementary.

"When I read their story, that was it," McLaughlin founder and CEO Bill McLaughlin said Tuesday. "I want to make a difference for them. We look for people who need a hand up, not a handout. There are lots of people out there who are in rough times. And if we can alleviate that, we will."

See the Middletown couple receive the good news Tuesday morning:

Cory is a U.S. military veteran, where he was a demolitions and weapons specialist with the U.S. Army. He transitioned those skills to work in New Jersey's booming film industry, where he does special effects and pyrotechnics. While Cory did the special effects for "A Complete Unknown," the Bob Dylan bio-pic and the Bruce Springsteen movie — both of which filmed all over the Jersey Shore and the state last year — he had to stop working in January to take care of his wife.

The weekly chemotherapy treatments Heather receives at RWJ Barnabas Medical Center in Long Branch leave her nauseous and exhausted, plus they give her a rash all over her body. She also has to wear a pump all weekend to keep the chemo going.

He was his wife's caregiver all winter. But in order for the family to survive, Cory had to go back to work in June.

"We've been relying on neighbors and friends to get by," he said, adding that his union in the film industry "has helped me tremendously, as has also the Wounder Warrior program."

McLaughlin Wealth Management gives investment and retirement advice; it is run by father-daughter team Bill and Kristin McLaughlin. Bill used to live in Middletown, where Kristin was raised; she graduated from Middletown High School North. She and her husband live in Freehold today.

"We prepare custom retirements for clients," said Kristin. "We are very selective and we only have 125 families we work with. We really love what we do. When we achieve success for our clients, my Dad and I actually do a happy dance — I'm not kidding. Our clients know that and can feel that we take pride in what we do."

For the past five years now, McLaughlin worked with the Gradient Gives Back Foundation to help different local Jersey Shore families: They helped a woman who suddenly became a single mom after her husband, a Wall DPW employee, died of jaw cancer. The company paid her mortgage for two years in a row.

"In this business, a lot of people are driven by the money," said Kristin. "And if that's what you're in it for, you're in it for the wrong reason. The right reason is to be able to make an impact for the clients we work with and ultimately be able to give back to our community."

More recently, they paid the mortgage for a husband-wife in Ocean Township with four children, all of which were on the autism spectrum. The mother had to quit her job to care for the children full time, and the family was in dire financial straits. Since receiving their help, the mother has since started baseball and softball leagues for kids with special needs.

"When we watch families that we've helped pay it forward, it's really rewarding," said Bill. "We think you should give and give often, and then give more. We've been blessed."

Heather's only chance of survival is a liver transplant. While doctors scheduled her for a surgery in November, she still has not yet found a living donor.

Nearly 50 people have applied so far, but all of them have been rejected, as the criteria is very strict, explains Heather. The liver needs to be a perfect match for her, and also the donor needs to be healthy enough to survive the surgery and donation.

"While my numbers have been very good after the chemo, there is no 'end date' for when the chemo treatments can stop," she said. "I need to keep getting them until I get a liver transplant. That's my only possibility for a cure."

Prior on Cory and Heather Candrilli: Middletown Mom Battling Stage 4 Colon Cancer, Needs Liver Transplant (May 2025)

Support Heather's Battle Against Cancer (GoFundMe)

McLaughlin Wealth Management (Wall Twp.)