"Most sharks take water in through their gills to move and propel themselves. Nurse sharks are one of the few species that do not require this and therefore they can lie sluggishly on the bottom of the ocean. When sharks and other ocean-living creatures are injured or ill, they descend to the bottom to die. The nurse shark swims under them and lifts them up to the surface where they can breathe and live again."

By now I was beaming with pride for my "fellow nurse" sharks and my buttons popped when he pointed to the dolphins in an adjacent tank. He told how one had not adapted well during the transition from the ocean to the tank. In spite of all efforts from the expert staff, the dolphin sank repeatedly to the bottom. The nurse shark swam under it and lifted it over and over again until it recovered and swam playfully with the others. "Isn't that just like a nurse," I said as I affectionately pet my new fish-friend.

Nurses "lift" patients and families every day. And this Nurses Week is the perfect time to say THANK YOU for every hand you have held, for every life you have lifted. Nurses are indeed angels of mercy!

Please forward this to inspire and thank another nurse you know!

For more inspirational true stories from Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul about "lifting" others and each other, CLICK HERE.