Heartbreaking update given by actress raising money to ‘preserve’ 13-year-old son’s body after his death
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing
An Australian actress who was on a mission to raise money to preserve her 13-year-old son’s body after his death has issued a heartbreaking update.
Clare McCann, 32, who is best known for her breakout role as 'Cherry' on the popular TV series Blog Party, announced the tragic death of her son Atreyu on Friday (23 May).
In a statement on Monday (26 May) the grieving mum shared the devastating news that the teenager had died by suicide.
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She explained that Atreyu had been the victim of 'months of relentless bullying', and simply saw no way out.
In a follow-up message, the actress revealed that she was aiming to raise six figures in a bid to have her son's body cryogenically frozen so that one day he might be brought back to life by scientific advances.
The scientific process sees bodies being preserved at extremely low temperatures - usually below -120 degrees - and stored at a cryogenic facility.
However, it was a race against the clock and the time window to raise the funds was short, with Clare initially stating that there were only seven days to bring in AU$300,000 (£140k).
With the fundraiser sitting at AU$15,865 (£7.5k) at the time of writing today (30 May), Clare took to social media to issue an update on the situation.
She wrote on her Instagram stories: “Thank you to everyone who tried to help give my baby another chance at life.
“I knew it was a long shot but I had to try.”
Clare urged people not to let her son ‘die in vain’ and reminded them that he ‘wanted people to know the pain he felt’.
She signed off the post with: “Live in kindness and love. If you don’t have anything nice to say to someone, say nothing.”
Then, she later posted a picture of the youngster alongside the words: "Fly high baby, I love you to infinity and beyond."
When Clare announced Atreyu’s death, she described the monumental loss as her 'worst nightmare'.
"It breaks my heart beyond what words can compare to share that in a moment of unbearable pain Atreyu took his own life," she wrote on social media.
"This was not his fault. He was let down by the schooling system as he suffered horrendous amounts of bullying.
"Now I humbly beg of you to help me preserve his life and help me fight against this inhumane landslide of child suicides caused by unchecked bullying by schools and teachers."
At the time, she explained: “We only have one chance left to cryogenically preserve his body within the next seven days.
“If we miss this window, we lose the chance for any future revival that science may offer. This is about hope and justice. Refusing to let my son's story end in silence.”
She previously told news.com.au: “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 bag 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.”
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.
Topics: Mental Health, News, Australia
Madison Burgess