An actress who is racing to raise $170,000 to cryogenically preserve her son has revealed the year that he would want to come back to life.
Clare McCann is facing the unimaginable — the sudden loss of her 13-year-old son Atreyu, and a ticking clock to preserve what she calls his only “second chance” at life.
McCann, best known for her role as Cherry on the hit TV show Blog Party and for founding the Sydney International Women’s Film Festival, has launched a GoFundMe to cryogenically preserve Atreyu’s body.
Her target is AU$300,000 — about $193,000 — to cover the costs of the controversial procedure and related expenses.
“We only have one chance left to cryogenically preserve his body within the next 7 days,” McCann wrote.
“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.”
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had raised just AU$15,625 — leaving her with very little time and a long road ahead.
According to McCann, Atreyu had long dreamed of the future — and had even spoken about cryopreservation years before tragedy struck.
“About six or seven years ago we started talking about the after life and heaven and I talked to him a little about cryogenics, and he told me he would like to do that,” she told News.com.au.
“We would talk about maybe we would be revived in a future so far ahead that humans have the ability to swim under water with extended breathing with the dolphins and the whales, or fly, or live on another planet…”
She added: “The only comfort I can find right now is that this must have been our purpose.”
The money raised will go toward not only the freezing process itself but also legal, transportation, and medical expenses. McCann also hopes to establish a trust in Atreyu’s name to preserve his legacy.
Speaking to NBC News, McCann revealed that she and Atreyu had even talked about the year when they'd both like to be unfrozen.
Discussing the advancement of cryogenics, McCann explained that some believe that people will be able to survive being unfrozen in "100 to 250 years".
She went on: "Me and my son, we were a little bit more realistic. Maybe the year one million. Maybe we come back when they've learnt how to make people fly and make people swim in the ocean."
"[To be in] in a world where I can heal all the pain he was feeling would be everything right now."
McCann says the nightmare began when Atreyu transitioned from homeschooling to South Sydney High School on February 7. That’s when the bullying started — and never stopped.
“He was bullied from the day he started,” she said. “It was just relentless. He started to withdraw. He wouldn’t speak to me about all the things, but I was still advocating for him every day.”
She claims the school failed to act, despite being given medical documentation, psychological evaluations, and a PTSD diagnosis.
“They wouldn’t expel or suspend. It’s wrong when there are so many incidents in schools. The school system fails children.”
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