Patty Serwatiak was the picture of health.

She made smart lifestyle choices to stay that way -- no smoking, drinking or drugs.

In May 2007, it all turned on a dime. Serwatiak suddenly became gravely, mysteriously ill.

"It's a hard story to tell," she said, fighting to keep her composure. "But I feel I have to.

"I'm a teacher; that's my job and now this is my life."

A visit to St. Catharines General Hospital revealed something was awry with her liver. Doctors had no idea what was wrong -- in fact, they never found out.

Soon, she was taken to London's University Hospital and being evaluated for a liver transplant.

It still seems like a horrible blur to her.

"And it was traumatic," said the 52-year-old. "Within a very short period of time, I fell into a liver-induced coma," she said. "My liver was completely dead.

"At that point, my family was told I had 12 hours to live."

Serwatiak told her harrowing tale to The Standard after recounting it to teachers from the Niagara Catholic District School Board and the District School Board of Niagara.

They gathered Thursday for a One Life ... Many Gifts education session at the public school board headquarters in St. Catharines.

One Life is a teaching resource developed to educate Ontario senior secondary school students about how vital organ and tissue donation is in the province.

The pilot project -- now in its second year -- is funded by the province of Ontario.

It was developed by Ontario's organ and tissue donation agency Trillium Gift of Life Network, London Health Sciences Centre and the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Teachers at both Niagara school boards are being trained about organ and tissue donation to better educate students.

The curriculum can be taught in seven different high school subject areas.

"The program's objective is to reach as many high school students as possible," said One Life educational consultant Joan Green, who attended Thursday's session.

"We create a curriculum which also invites them to consider the stories of organ and tissue recipients."

Some teachers may tell the teens about Serwatiak, who was incredibly lucky when her time came.

A donor organ was quickly found for her -- the liver of a 17- year-old.

She doesn't know if it was a male or female, or how the teen passed away.

"This is where the miracle is," Serwatiak said. "I was given 12 hours to live. The liver was a 99.9% perfect match and my surgery went like a breeze with no complications."

She's acutely aware of her good fortune. About 1,700 people in Ontario sit on a waiting list, and one person dies every three days waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Meanwhile, Serwatiak returned this semester to St. Francis Secondary School in St. Catharines to teach geography.

"I've always taught high school kids," she said, visibly moved.

"For me to go back to work and walk into a classroom of kids and knowing I have a kid living in me is kind of profound.

"Something happened to me and my job, life, career, everything was put on hold.

"And then a family and child gave me life. It's the ultimate gift anyone could receive," said Serwatiak, who has resumed her active lifestyle.

She issued a clarion call to young people and their families -- talk about organ donation and make your wishes clearly known.

It's time to change the culture of fear about discussing these issues, she said. And that's a big part of the One Life campaign.

"We have a tendency to be afraid to talk about our death and not think about it," said Serwatiak, who is married to husband Eugene. "If you've had this discussion about donation and you are aware, you will be better able to look beyond the death so that life will win.

"From tragedy, good can come."