Trigger Warning: This story on Clare McCann contains distressing content relating to child suicide, bullying, and grief. If you or someone you know is struggling, please know you’re not alone. Support is available.
After the tragic death of her 13-year-old son Atreyu, Australian actor Clare McCann is calling out a system that failed – and launching a radical bid to bring hope out of heartbreak. McCann, who is known to many from the cult Channel V series Blog Party, is enduring every parent’s worst nightmare. Her 13-year-old son, Atreyu, died by suicide on 23 May following what she describes as “months of horrific bullying” at his New South Wales public school. In the wake of his death, Clare is speaking out – and taking extraordinary steps to honour his life and legacy.
In a statement posted alongside a GoFundMe campaign, McCann revealed her intention to raise $300,000 to cryogenically preserve Atreyu’s body. The request is as urgent as it is surreal: a seven-day window to carry out the preservation before the chance for a potential future revival – however remote – is lost forever. But for Clare, the science is only part of the story.
“This is about hope and justice,” she writes. “Refusing to let my son’s story end in silence.”
McCann, also a filmmaker and journalist, has long used her voice for advocacy. But this is personal. She says she repeatedly raised the alarm with the school, the Department of Education, and Child Services. She has psychologist reports, a PTSD diagnosis, and emails to back up her claims – all pointing to a system that failed to protect a vulnerable child. Her grief is threaded with anger. “I had begged the school… but nothing was done. No one stepped in. And now, my beautiful boy is gone.” Atreyu, McCann says, was gentle, creative, and deeply loved. His name – which fans may recognise from The NeverEnding Story – speaks to that spirit.
Cryonics, the process of preserving a body at extremely low temperatures after legal death, remains controversial and speculative. But for McCann, it represents a sliver of hope in an otherwise unbearable reality. The funds she’s seeking will cover immediate preservation and legal procedures. Anything above the target will be channelled into anti-bullying advocacy, legal action against the institutions she says failed her son, and support for other families facing similar trauma.
“As my worst nightmare has come to life, my child’s has been stolen,” she writes. “Now I humbly beg 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.”
“It’s with shattered hearts that we share the passing of my beautiful son, Atreyu McCann,” she shared in a separate post. “He was the brightest light in my world – kind, creative, and endlessly loved.”
For support call:
Lifeline at 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)
Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800
Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636
