Rhiannon Ingle
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
An Australian actress who tragically lost her teenage son to suicide has made a desperate plea hours before the deadline to 'preserve' his body.
Clare McCann, who is best known for her breakout role as 'Cherry' on the popular TV series Blog Party, announced on Friday (23 May) the heartbreaking news that her 13-year-old son, Atreyu, had died after being the victim of 'months of horrific bullying'.
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Following his recent passing, the grieving mother announced her new mission to raise a six-figure sum of $300,000 (AUD) in a bid to have her son's body cryogenically frozen.
"We only have one chance left to cryogenically preserve his body within the next 7 days. If we miss this window, we lose the chance for any future revival that science may offer," she wrote on a GoFundMe page in order to raise funds for the treatment.
"This is about hope and justice. Refusing to let my son’s story end in silence."
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McCann continued: "I am a public figure with a national platform, and I will use every resource I have to make sure this never happens again, not just to my son, but to any other child failed by this system."
The fundraiser was created four days ago, meaning there is now less than three days left for the chance for McCann to cryogenically 'preserve' the late teen's body.
She's since issued a desperate plea for more donations as the deadline draws closer and closer.
"I’ve been sitting there with him in the morgue just kissing him, realistically from Thursday I know I should be putting him in a fully synthetic sleeping bad and putting ice packs surrounding him at the minimum to have any kind of chance but I just don’t want to disturb him if this is all for nothing," McCann told news.com.au in an article published Thursday (29 May).
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She continued: "I mean, I want him back, but at the same time, the ice will disfigure him so if I can’t use the cryopreservation technology how do I do that to my baby? I can’t do that to my beautiful baby.
"If this doesn’t work, if I can’t raise the money to do this then I can’t even think about what’s next, a cemetery… I can’t even."
McCann later added: "The thought of being able to bring him back gives me something to hang on to. Without that I literally have nothing."
Peter Tsolakides, the founder of Southern Cryonics - which is a not-for-profit enterprise and the first cryonics storage facility in the southern hemisphere - told news.com.au that time was fast running out for McCann.
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"We have already lost valuable time so the conditions are not optimal for success for Clare’s boy, but no one ever knows, we will help her in whatever way we can. All the members here feel so sorry for what she’s gone through," he said.
Explaining the 'complicated' process, Tsolakides continued: "What normally happens is we would have come into contact with the person before death, a medical team would visit the hospital and there is monitoring by the emergency response team until legal death is pronounced."
"It’s a complicated process but already, with the time delay, we have missed important steps in cooling the body at the pace we need to keep the brain at optimal health," the Southern Cryonics founder said.
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"What this process is really about is keeping the brain healthy so that one day when science and medicine catches up, the body is ready for what’s next."
Noting that it is still unknown whether anyone preserved this way can ever be revived, Tsolakides clarified that everyone who has signed up to have their body preserved in this way is aware that science is a long way behind but it’s about 'giving yourself the best chance'.
At the time of writing, $13,745 AUD has been raised - which is just five percent of the total $300,000 AUD goal.
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.