OUR DAILY MISSION
CTR provides free expert guidance. Always with a human touch.
Watch video and read transcriptDownload transcript (.txt)
CTR Families & Patient Stories was produced by filmmaker Hernán Barangan, director of Cancer Rebellion and a partner of Teen Cancer America.
Our mission as a nonprofit is to transform the healthcare journey for people facing cancer and complex health issues, providing free cancer patient guidance, care navigation, and second opinion preparation so they can move forward with confidence.
In a world increasingly driven by automated systems and AI chatbots, real conversation and real-world experience are exactly what we hold onto.
We stand ready to help. It's never too late in your healthcare journey to call or text today at 310-237-3777.
What CTR does
Guidance for the decisions, questions, and connections that matter most.
CTR helps patients and families move from uncertainty to clarity with trusted guidance, practical next steps, and meaningful connections.
Patient guidance resources
Clear starting points for common cancer care questions.
CTR helps patients and families find the right next conversation when a cancer diagnosis, second opinion question, or pediatric cancer concern feels difficult to navigate.
Free cancer guidanceUnderstand next steps, organize questions, and prepare for care conversations after a diagnosis or complex medical concern.Cancer second opinion helpLearn when another medical perspective may help clarify a diagnosis, treatment plan, or specialist path.Pediatric cancer navigationGuidance for families navigating pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer questions.
CTR Network
Social connection, national reach.
Lili's CTR Journey...
Because of donor support, patients like Lili and her family were able to find answers, expert guidance, and hope through a single connection made at the right moment.
Read more of Lili’s storyShow less
After months of uncertainty, exploratory surgery, multiple MRIs, and several opinions, Lili's family still didn't have clear answers. Then one Facebook post changed everything. Years earlier, Candy had guided another family through their own cancer diagnosis, and it was that family who saw Lori's post, recognized what she was going through, and made the introduction that led her to Candy, and to the guidance, support, and community her family needed most.
It's this kind of connection, one family reaching back to help the next, that planted the earliest seeds of what would become the CTR Network. Long before it had a name, these were the moments that showed Candy how much stronger patients could be when they weren't facing a diagnosis alone. That instinct grew into a widening web of patients, specialists, and supporters, all united by the same belief that guided that first Facebook message: no patient should have to face a diagnosis without someone by their side.
Watch Lili's story, told by her mom, Lori
Stories like Lili's are why the CTR Network keeps growing today. Every new introduction adds another thread to something bigger than any one connection, built on lived experience, trust, and one family's willingness to help the next. It's a story we're proud to keep telling below.
If you or someone you know needs guidance, contact CTR by call or text at 310-237-3777.
Thank you for helping us continue this work.
Tax deductible donation
Guided by experience. Funded by donors.
Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, CTR offers guidance to patients and families facing cancer or complex diagnoses, always at no cost, around the clock.
Your donation today helps us respond to the urgent realities of our current healthcare system, supporting patients through shortages in doctors, long wait times, and delayed diagnoses. We're especially focused on helping children, teens, and young adults get the right diagnosis and care.
Whether you're an individual, a grateful patient, a family, a foundation, or a business, your donation matters.
From all of us at CTR, and on behalf of every patient we serve: we are deeply grateful for your generosity.
Checks can be made payable to:
Cancer Teamwork Response
Mail checks to the following address:
Cancer Teamwork Response19 Morning Glory
Irvine, CA 92603
For contributions via ACH, please contact CTR Managing Director, Michelle Arroyo directly to obtain the required banking details.
michelle@cancerteamworkresponse.orgDonations open securely through Cornerstone in a new tab so this page stays available.
Meet the team
Compassionate. Committed. Here for every step.
FounderCandy Hammeras
Founder of Cancer Teamwork Response and The Hammeras Group, LLC. These patient advocacy organizations have helped over 4,000 patients across the United States over the past 12 years. A respected healthcare leader with varied high-level hospital experience, her focus is on patient navigation for patients of all ages facing cancer and complex health issues. Candy has become known for her compassion for patients with cancer and her connections to physicians and leading facilities across the U.S.
Managing DirectorMichelle Arroyo
Michelle Arroyo has been a committed advocate for individuals and families facing complex health challenges for 19 years. With a deep understanding of the healthcare system and a passion for patient care, she has spent the last decade focused on improving the quality of life for patients of all ages. Michelle is pivotal in developing and implementing initiatives for CTR that support patients and their families throughout diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. Drawing on her extensive experience with grassroots fundraising for nonprofits across greater Los Angeles, Michelle now also leads CTR's donor relationships, connecting the community support that makes our work possible directly to the patients it serves. Her unique blend of healthcare expertise, community engagement, and business acumen continues to inspire positive change in the lives she touches.
Client Relations & Events ManagerJackie Roll
Jackie Roll is the Client Relations & Events Manager for Cancer Teamwork Response, serving as the bridge between The Hammeras Group, LLC and CTR. She has spent the past ten years managing The Hammeras Group, where her focus on patient coordination and connecting patients to the best possible treatment has been invaluable to the organization's success. Her experience assisting with Los Angeles awards shows established her as a leading coordinator for The Hammeras Group, LLC's successful cancer benefit concerts. Before joining The Hammeras Group, Jackie managed a national tutorial learning center for children.
Founding Advisory Team Members
Experience. Compassion. Connection.
Behind CTR is a community of experienced professionals, advocates, and trusted advisors who believe no individual or family should navigate a complex cancer journey alone.
Julia Post Guenther
Patient. Business Leader. Advisor. Community Champion.
Read Julia’s backgroundShow less
Julia Post Guenther’s relationship with CTR began during one of the most difficult moments of her own life.
After receiving a sudden brain tumor diagnosis, Julia was connected with CTR founder Candy Hammeras. That introduction helped bring clarity, coordination, and trusted support during a time filled with uncertainty.
Today, Julia brings both lived experience and business leadership to CTR’s Advisory Team. As an active philanthropist and community connector, she helps introduce CTR to patients, professionals, business leaders, donors, and supporters who believe in strengthening access to trusted guidance.
Her journey from patient to advocate continues to shape CTR’s patient-first approach and demonstrates how one meaningful connection can grow into a network that helps others find their way.
Lived experience · Business leadership · Community connection
Read Julia’s story →
Debra Beauregard, MBA
Healthcare Leader. Strategic Advisor. Patient Advocate.
Read Debra’s backgroundShow less
Debra Beauregard is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience and a strong belief in the power of collaboration—not only among healthcare professionals, but with patients and families.
Throughout her career, Debra has remained committed to improving the patient experience through timely communication, informed second opinions, and greater participation in healthcare decisions.
Her long-standing relationship with CTR founder Candy Hammeras began through their work in healthcare and developed through shared conversations about the gaps patients often face when navigating complex diagnoses and fragmented systems.
As a Founding Advisory Team Member, Debra brings healthcare leadership, strategic insight, and a personal commitment to helping CTR strengthen the connections that support patients when guidance matters most.
Healthcare leadership · Strategic insight · Patient advocacy
View LinkedIn profile →Through shared expertise and meaningful relationships, our advisors help build a more connected approach to navigating cancer.
CTR Network
The system behind the support.
What began as one founder's relationships with trusted specialists has grown into something bigger, a connected ecosystem of patients, healthcare professionals, donors, and community partners, all working toward the same goal: putting the patient first.
The CTR Network is where those relationships live. It's how we match patients to the right experts, give healthcare professionals clear referral pathways, show donors exactly where their support goes, and partner with communities to expand access to care. Every connection strengthens the next.
Explore the CTR Network →"I started CTR so patients would not have to navigate cancer alone."