A MAN who cheated death after falling into an industrial mixer today told how the accident had transformed his life.

Paul Kelly, 47, suffered horrific injuries when he fell into a grouting machine at his TileMaster factory, Whittle-le-Woods, last February.

The huge blades ripped through his flesh as he lost consciousness, leaving his limbs mangled beyond recognition.

He said his brush with death made him realise the things that really matter in life -- like his family and friends.

And he is now campaigning to encourage more people to donate blood -- as without donors he would not have survived.

Paul, of The Cloisters, Leyland, was trapped for an hour before finally being taken to hospital by air ambulance.

Teams of surgeons at Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital worked around the clock to re-attach his severed right hand and left arm. They battled in vain to save his left leg, but used the big toe from the limb to replace his right thumb.

Paul, who is married to Rhona, 45, and has children Joanne, 24, and Mark, 22, said the accident has had many positive effects on his life.

"My relationships with family and friends have improved no end. I love hearing about the normal things they do and appreciate every day much more.

"I believed I was going to die and remember saying to a colleague while I was lying in the mixer, 'well if this is it then so be it'.

"After such a horrific accident I'm happy to be here. I'm in good health and I feel great," he said.

Dubbed the 'Miracle Man' after his recovery which defied the longest of odds, Paul admits he owes a great deal to surgeon Professor Gus McGrouther, whose team of consultants worked in shifts to re-attach his limbs.

Within minutes of Paul's arrival in hospital, ten surgeons working in three teams worked to graft bones back together and connect arteries, veins, nerves, tendons and muscles.

Paul's case study will now be used to help teach micro-surgery to visiting students from all around the world.

And since the accident Paul believes everyone should experience staring death in the face. He said: "Everyone says I'm an inspiration, but what inspires me is seeing people who have lost both legs in an accident getting up and walk. One man I saw in physiotherapy wouldn't be beaten. Despite almost dying he learnt to walk again and that amazed me.

"If everyone had the chance to see things like that the world would be a much better place. People would be more mellow and more appreciative of the things around them. I'm sure people would be more sympathetic to other people's problems ."

Paul described how surgeons formed a new thumb on his right hand from the big toe on the foot that they had amputated hours earlier.

During the second of back-to-back 12-hour operations, surgeons dissected the toe and dismantled the foot and then re-assembled it as a thumb.

All the muscles that used to move the toe now work the thumb and it works normally. The complexity and skill involved is almost too much for Paul.

He said: "I've had too many operations to remember what each one was for. The first one lasted 22 hours and after that I've been in every couple of months for more.

"The latest one gave me much more movement in my left arm. I am so grateful to all the surgeons, doctors, nurses, paramedics, orderlies and everyone who has been responsible for saving my life."

More than 45 units of blood have been used in Paul's numerous operations and he has decided to thank donors by helping organisers to publicise blood donation sessions.

He opened the new Chorley blood donor session, which, after a successful year at Trinity Methodist Church, has moved to St Joseph's Church Centre, Harper's Lane.

"Blood donors helped save my life so anything I can do to help is worthwhile. I hope other people will be saved in the same way that I was.

"Without this service I wouldn't be here. I just feel really, really privileged to be here."

Paul opened the session with Harry Fishwick, 59, of Chorley, who made a "miracle" recovery after a works accident three years ago.

He underwent an 18-hour operation at Withington Hospital in Manchester after his fingers were chopped off in a guillotine accident.

A foreman at Sappi Europe's Feniscowles factory, Blackburn, where the accident happened in May 1999, gathered up Harry's severed fingers and packed them in a bag of frozen peas.