Actress Seeks to Cryogenically Preserve Son After His Tragic Death Following Severe Bullying
Australian actress Clare McCann has announced plans to cryogenically preserve the body of her 13-year-old son, Atreyu McCann, after he tragically died by suicide following persistent bullying.
McCann—known for her roles in productions like Blog Party and Clublife, as well as her work as founder of the Sydney International Women’s Film Festival—shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram.
“It’s with shattered hearts that we share the passing of my beautiful son, Atreyu McCann. He was the brightest light in my world — kind, creative, and endlessly loved,” she wrote. “Right now, we are grieving a loss that words can’t hold. Please give us time and space as we process this unimaginable pain.”
What shocked her 62,000 followers even more was her next step: launching an urgent fundraiser to raise $200,000 within seven days to carry out her son’s wish of cryogenic preservation.
“All I really need to say is how much I really need these funds to give my son what he wanted,” McCann told news.com.au. “About six or seven years ago we started talking about the afterlife and heaven. I mentioned cryogenics, and he told me he would like to do that.”
She said it had become a shared dream between them: “Over the years, we agreed it was something we wanted to do together. He deserves a second chance to live the life he wanted.”
McCann recalled the futuristic visions they had often discussed: “We imagined a future where people might be revived, swim underwater with dolphins and whales, fly, or even live on other planets.”
The GoFundMe campaign states that Atreyu “tragically took his own life” and that McCann is “urgently raising $200,000 to cryogenically preserve his body within the next 7 days — or the opportunity for him to live again will be lost forever.”
At the time of writing, the fundraiser had gathered AU$6,565 (approximately USD $4,232).
McCann explained the funds would cover “immediate cryopreservation and legal transportation, required medical and legal services,” as well as a trust in Atreyu’s name to preserve his legacy. Surplus donations would support “anti-bullying education and reform.”
She added: “The only comfort I can find right now is that this must have been our purpose.”
According to McCann, her son’s bullying began on his first day at South Sydney High School on February 7, following years of being homeschooled.
“It was relentless. He started withdrawing and wouldn’t share everything, but I kept advocating for him every day,” she said. “They refused to expel or suspend. It’s wrong — there were so many incidents. The school system fails our children.”
She continued, “He was just 13. He deserved a future. If the school and government had listened when I asked for help, he might still be alive. I submitted complaints. I shared medical records. No one listened.”
In a follow-up post, McCann described her son’s death as her “worst nightmare,” saying: “It breaks my heart beyond what words can compare to share that in a moment of unbearable pain, Atreyu took his own life. This was not his fault. He had suffered horrendous amounts of bullying.”
NSW Deputy Secretary of Public Schools Deborah Summerhayes expressed condolences, stating that counselling and wellbeing support were being provided to students and staff. Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car called it a “tragic loss,” adding: “No parent should go through the distress of losing a child in this way.”
