Boy, 17, to undergo genital reconstruction after rifle accident

Luis Canelos destroyed most of his genitalia at age 9, when he picked up his father’s rifle and accidentally shot himself in the groin.  Now, at age 17, he plans to undergo surgery to rebuild  his damaged penis, the Miami Herald reported.

According to the Herald, a doctor in Miami heard about Luis’ injury and reached out to his family, who live in a rural Peruvian village.  Luis and his father, Roger, 41, flew up to Miami July 16 with the help of a program called International Kids Fund Wonderfund, which raises money for foreign children to get medical treatment and surgery they can’t receive or afford in their home countries.

For the procedure, known a phalloplasty, two medical teams will build a new penis for Luis using a fibular bone from a cadaver, with the hope that he will have a fully functioning penis when the operation is done – and even be able to father children.

Luis will be treated at Holtz Children’s Hospital at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.  The surgery is scheduled for August.

“I want to recover my body, be young again,” Luis told the Miami Herald.

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