Boy who accidentally shot self in groin to undergo penis reconstruction

Luis Canelos was 9 years old when the accident almost entirely destroyed his genital region.

Now 17, Canelos hopes to have a fully functioning penis once the operation is completed in August.

"I want to recover my body, be young again," a major newspaper quoted him as saying.

According to the Miami Herald, the surgery, called ‘phalloplasty,' will be paid for through a donation from a major charity organisation.

The charity helps foreign kids to get medical treatments that they otherwise cannot afford or wouldn't be able to access. His treatment will be costing 50,000 dollars.

"My family is a poor family. We don't have a lot of resources," Canelos' father, Roger said.

The Canelos family live near the border with Colombia and Ecuador, and the father and son duo had never before left their region before the journey to Miami.

Despite the relative isolation of their home, a doctor at the University of Miami had heard about the teen's plight and told his story to the charity.

The organization wanted to help him "not only because of the physical situation but also because of the emotional side effects that come with the situation," Executive Director Maria Luisa Chea said.

During the surgery the medical teams will build a penis using a small calf bone from a cadaver.u00a0