Clare McCann: Mum’s heartbreaking post after son Atreyu took his own life

The grieving mother of a 13-year-old boy who took his own life after relentless bullying at school has shared heart-rending vision of him and renewed her plea for help to cryopreserve his body.

Actress Clare McCann is still holding out hope she will be able to preserve her son Atreyu’s body to one day give him a second chance at life.

However, a GoFundMe for the procedure has so far raised just over $8000 of the $300,000 target.

Atreyu, who was also an actor, died on Friday after enduring months of bullying at South Sydney High. Australia’s only cryogenics facility has agreed to try to preserve his body but the family will have to act within days if it is to be successful.

“We’re not certain, there are no guarantees, but there’s a reasonable probability,” cryogenics entrepreneur Peter Tsolakides from Southern Cryonics told 7NEWS.

Ms McCann, who rose to public attention in Channel [V] shows Blog Party and Clublife, believes Atreyu was let down by the school system. The Education Department claims the school tried to help.

Alongside a video of him practicing his singing for an upcoming audition Ms McCann wrote on social media on Wednesday that it had been taken just before she had to pull him out of school.

“I wish I hadn’t trusted the promises of the teachers that they would handle it. I wish I knew what he was going through in those last weeks. I thought he was getting better. I know now he was in so much pain,” she wrote.

“He was only in school across two months time. He spent half of it at home recovering from the stress of all the bullying. I tried everything. It just wasn’t enough to curve (sic) his sadness that he felt no one cared. Especially the teachers.“Please help me bring him back so he can get the treatment he needed and we can together have another chance at life.”

In an interview with 7NEWS, an emotional Ms McCann described her son as a “funny, intelligent, kind, sweet” kid, saying she “just want to be with him anyway I can”.

“Maybe it might not ever happen, but if there’s a chance he deserves this chance.”

In her GoFundMe appeal, Ms McCann said any money raised above her target would go toward a national campaign for anti-bullying education and reform, legal action and support for other families “impacted by systemic negligence”.

“I had begged the school, the Department of Education, and Children’s Services to intervene. I have medical records, psychologist reports, a formal PTSD diagnosis from his doctor, and emails proving I raised the alarm repeatedly. But nothing was done.

“No one stepped in. And now, my beautiful boy is gone.”

She vowed to use her public platform to ensure what happened to her son would never happen again.

Lifeline: 13 11 14.

Young people seeking support can phone beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or go to headspace.org.au.