An Australian actress, filmmaker, and journalist, Clare McCann, is looking to raise close to $200,000 following the tragic death of her 13-year-old son, Atreyu, who took his own life. Reportedly, the funds will be used to “cryogenically preserve” Atreyu’s body.
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According to McCann, Atreyu died by suicide on Friday, May 23. He had suffered a months-long struggle with “horrific bullying at his public school.” She would announce a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to cryogenically preserve his 13-year-old body on May 25 via an Instagram post.
“As my worst nightmare has come to life my child has been stolen,” McCann wrote. “It breaks my heart beyond what words can compare to share that in a moment of unbearable pain Atreyu took his own life.”
According to the fundraiser, Atreyu’s death comes after months of suffering bullying at the public school. Despite her begging the school, the Department of Education, and Children’s Services, no one acted on the situation, according to her.
“I have medical records, psychologist reports, a formal PTSD diagnosis from his doctor, and emails proving I raised the alarm repeatedly,” McCann wrote. “But nothing was done. No one stepped in. And now, my beautiful boy is gone.”
Cryogenically Preserved
The fundraiser seeks to raise a total of 300,000 Australian dollars (just shy of $195,000). The money will be used to cryopreserve Atreyu’s body, cover the legal transportation, and pay for medical and legal services. A trust fund will also be created in Atreyu’s name “to protect his legacy.”
Should the fundraiser exceed its initial target, additional funds will be used to finance a national anti-bullying campaign. McCann will also use the extra money to fund legal action against the “institutions that failed him.” Finally, she will support families that have suffered from the same “systemic negligence” that she and Atreyu went through.
In an interview with News.com.au, Clare McCann revealed the topic of the conversations she had with her son years before his untimely death.
“About six or seven years ago we started talking about the after life and heaven,” McCann said. “I talked to him a little about cryogenics, and he told me he would like to do that,”. “Over the years we talked about that that’s what we would want to do together, never separate. He deserves a second chance to live the life he wanted.”
Cryonics, according to the BBC, is an extreme version of cryopreservation. It involves conserving a full human body for it to be reawakened in the future. Currently, however, experts believe that contemporary technology does not have the means to support cryonics’ objectives. Some label it a pseudoscience.
According to Tomorrow Bio, approximately 500 people are currently cryonically preserved.
If you or anyone you know is currently struggling with suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.