Mak Steinbock got to experience another “miracle” last night, seven weeks after she was rushed from her Long Island home to the Bronx in a snowstorm to receive a new liver the longtime Mets fan got to throw out the first pitch before the game at Citi Field against the Cubs.

“This is beyond my wildest dreams,” said Steinbock, 59, an Atlantic Beach resident. “It’s just a miracle. I can’t believe it. I’ve been a Mets fan through thick and thin.

Steinbock, a hepatitis C patient who had waited months for a liver, had to be escorted by Nassau police officers through blistering snow and wind to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx for the emergency transplant.

Mets pitcher John Maine signs an autograph for Mak Steinbock before the game. (April 21, 2010) Photo Credit: David Pokress

Wednesday, Steinbock, decked out in a Mets’ jersey, tossed the ceremonial first pitch at 7:35 p.m. after a 25-minute rain delay. Steinbock said a friend, whose brother is “good friends with [Cubs manager] Lou Piniella,” helped her work on her pitching motion. “I hope to do a better job than [President Barack] Obama,” she said with a smile.

Surrounding her were the six officers who helped save her life last month: Nassau 4th Precinct officers Rob Prince, Jack Trybala, Jim Desente and Lt. John Lores and New York City Highway Patrol officers Tony Romano and Stephen Brooks.

“It’s very emotional,” said Steinbock’s daughter, Allie Kornbluth, 25.

“I have a lot of gratitude for the community. The community has reached out. It took a team to make this happen, it wasn’t just one doctor.”

Originally Published April 21, 2010

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