Charles E. Hill 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Crystal Leduc has wanted to be a nurse since she was a little girl.
“The first gift I remember getting was a nurse’s kit with a stethoscope and things like that,” Leduc said. “So I always wanted to be a nurse. I love taking care of people.”
She realized this dream shortly before the pandemic.
“I actually started my career as a pediatric intensive care nurse,” she said.
She applied her skills in COVID care, at Capital Regional Medical Center, even while carrying her own package.
“I just had a baby so I was pregnant while caring for COVID patients.”
But, two years after the start of the pandemic, it has become too much to bear.
“Part of my job was, unfortunately, once a patient expired, I had to help fill out their death papers,” says Leduc. “And I was writing so many birthdays close to mine. Like it was so unfortunate to see so many people my age die.”
That’s when Crystal and her husband Chris decided to cook up something different.
“So we came across For the Table hospitality,” said Chris Leduc. “They owned Madison Social and several businesses in the city. Honestly, we were meeting with them, we were planning to do a teahouse and kind of a cafe, but centered around tea. …” And during that conversation, I was joking, he said i would sell you yeast dough today.”
It was just the fresh start their family needed.
“I just looked at my life and realized how short life could be and it could literally hit anyone at any time, so I wanted to make sure I was spreading joy” , said Crystal.
Despite a slow start, they credit cautious COVID shoppers, “One weekend we’re probably making anywhere from 2 to 300 donuts,” Chris says. “We’re working on that number right now because we sold out over the weekend.
And when it comes to turning burnout into a breakthrough, Crystal says, “It’s good to focus on yourself a bit. Take the time you need. You can’t keep pouring from an empty cup, as they say. Take time. faith. Restore your energy. Pursue your dreams.
Soon, the couple plan to host an after-hours chat group for other healthcare workers so they can visit for coffee, donuts and a chance to be edified.
Right now, healthcare workers, frontline responders and teachers get 10% off their purchases.
