For one glorious night, Shirley Nieves pushed aside her pain and reveled in a circle of friends, family and former colleagues from PS 96 in East Harlem, who threw the beloved teacher a Halloween fundraiser for a lifesaving double lung transplant. Nieves, 51, suffers from Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, a progressive, genetic disease. Visually impaired since birth, Nieves nonetheless put herself through college and taught for 17 years. Breathing difficulties forced her to stop teaching in March 2014. Nieves came to the party as Harley Quinn, the girlfriend to The Joker (her husband, David). She brought a feast to feed multitudes: Puerto Rican, Mexican and Italian dishes and chocolate fondue fruit for dessert. “One of the things I can still do is cook, which I used to do with my students,” Nieves said. “It’s how I show my love.” Nieves said she and her friends danced to salsa music and Michael Jackson. “We even had a strobe light,” she said. “I was so happy I cried.” Nieves’ former colleague Judy Jones, a key organizer of the fundraiser, helped make baskets to raffle off and other fundraising goodies. “The best moment that evening was when I asked her how she felt,” said Jones. “I meant her breathing. But she just beamed and said, ‘At this moment, I feel so loved.’ She is.” For those interested in donating to Shirley Nieves, visit HelpHopeLive.org.