From Alzheimer's Caregiving to Cancer Treatment, One Doctor Has Been There Every Step of the Way

For Lynn Keyser, having a physician who has been there through every season of life is not a luxury. It is the foundation of her health.

Lynn has never been one to put herself first. For years, the retired nurse from National Park, New Jersey, poured her energy into her career, her family and, most of all, caring for her husband, Rich, a Vietnam veteran who lived with Alzheimer's disease. Keeping track of his appointments, his medications and his comfort left little room for thinking about her own health.

But through it all, she had Dr. Aquilino.

Lynn has been a patient of Linda Aquilino, D.O., at Inspira Primary Care Deptford since 2011. Over the years, her physician has seen her through caregiving and loss, a cancer diagnosis and a recovery that required steadiness from everyone around her. What Lynn remembers most is not any single test or treatment. It is the feeling of being truly known by someone who never let her slip through the cracks.

"I don't know what I would do if she weren't my physician," Lynn said. "She's made me think differently about how I care for myself. I didn't before. I didn't have time. Now I do, and I make sure that I listen. She did that for me."

Finding the Right Doctor

When Lynn and Rich moved from North Jersey to the Deptford area, their daughter-in-law recommended Dr. Aquilino. Lynn was working full time at a community blood center and had recently taken on the additional weight of caring for her husband as his Alzheimer's progressed. A good primary care physician was not optional; it was essential.

From early on, Dr. Aquilino showed Lynn what thoughtful, unhurried care could look like. When Rich developed conjunctivitis, Dr. Aquilino called in a prescription rather than asking Lynn to bring him in for an office visit. She understood instinctively what every caregiver knows: that an unnecessary trip out of the house could unsettle him for hours.

When Rich's legs began to swell and a vascular concern needed to be ruled out, Dr. Aquilino moved quickly. By the time Lynn got him to South Jersey Radiology, the physician had already called ahead. They walked through the door and were taken back immediately.

"I don't know how many other doctors would have done that," Lynn said. "She took the time to make sure that we didn't have to wait, that he wouldn't get more upset than he already was."

Rich passed away in May of 2014 and was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Lynn still visits when she can, especially around Memorial Day.

Turning the Focus to Lynn

In the months after Rich's death, Lynn struggled. She had been managing her own type 2 diabetes, but caregiving had pushed her health to the margins. She was grieving, exhausted and not taking care of herself. Dr. Aquilino recognized it immediately.

"After Rich passed, I started having problems, and Dr. Aquilino jumped right on it," Lynn recalled. "She was like, ‘Okay, it's time to think about you.’"

She made sure Lynn was getting regular blood work, adjusted her medications and attended carefully to her blood sugar levels. But it was not only her physical health that Dr. Aquilino addressed. In every appointment during that period, she made space for whatever Lynn was carrying.

"She never rushed me. If I cried, she let me cry. When I stopped crying, she would give me a hug, and I'd go out the door. But I felt better when I left the office than when I walked in."

Then came a moment that showed just how sharp Dr. Aquilino's clinical instincts were. Lynn went in one day for routine blood work. A lab technician noticed she didn't look right and stepped out to get the physician. Dr. Aquilino came in, took one look at Lynn and called 9-1-1. By the time Lynn reached the emergency room, Dr. Aquilino had already received her hemoglobin results. Her level was seven. She needed a blood transfusion.

"She recognized it. She could see it the minute she looked at me," Lynn said. "She was very sharp. She still is."

There When It Mattered Most

In April 2025, Lynn received a kidney cancer diagnosis. Suddenly, she was navigating multiple specialists, multiple test orders and a flood of information she was not yet ready to share with her family, including the grandchildren she helps care for every week.

She turned to Dr. Aquilino and asked her to take the lead. Dr. Aquilino took on that role without hesitation. She gathered the reports, reviewed everything and connected Lynn directly with specialists who prioritized her care. Lynn ultimately had a partial nephrectomy in September 2025, removing half of the affected kidney.

Throughout the process, Dr. Aquilino respected Lynn's wish to wait before telling her family what was happening. She helped Lynn manage the information on her own terms until she had answers to share.

"I had somebody pulling all of these pieces into one pile and going through it and saying, this is a good plan, this is going to work for you. I couldn't make those decisions. I was scared," Lynn said. "Dr. Aquilino helped me through that."

A Trusted Primary Care Physician

Now retired and living in a multigenerational household in National Park with her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, Lynn volunteers weekly with the Alzheimer's Association and serves as what she calls "grandma's taxi service." She still sees Dr. Aquilino regularly, and she said the relationship has only deepened over the years.

When someone in her community asks for a primary care recommendation on social media, Lynn is one of the first to respond.

"She's caring, she listens, she's professional. She knows her business. If she doesn't have the answer, she will find the answer," Lynn said. "Dr. Aquilino. Call her first."

A trusted primary care physician can make all the difference through routine care, life's hardest moments and everything in between. To find a primary care provider near you, visit InspiraHealth.org.