Latest news with #7NewsSydney
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Australian actress starts fundraiser to cryogenically preserve son, who died by suicide after bullying
A mother in Australia is raising money to cryogenically preserve her 13-year-old son's body after he died by suicide following "months of brutal bullying," according to the online fundraiser. Clare McCann, an actress and filmmaker from New South Wales, launched the fundraiser on Sunday, explaining that her son, Atreyu McCann, died May 23. She wrote that her teenage son "took his own life after months of horrific bullying at his public school." The mother explained she repeatedly asked her son's school and the Department of Education and Children's Services to intervene, "but nothing was done. No one stepped. And now, my beautiful boy is gone," the fundraiser says. A spokesperson for the New South Wales Department of Education said the agency was devastated to learn of the death. McCann told 7News Sydney that from the moment her son started high school, he was subjected to bullying. Even following her son's death, she said no students were disciplined. "None of them were suspended, none of them were expelled. I feel completely let down," she told the Australian outlet. Officials said the education department and school had been working with the family and will team with authorities to understand the circumstances of the teen's death. McCann is seeking $300,000 AUD to preserve his body within the next seven days — "or the opportunity for him to live again will be lost forever." Cryopreservation is the concept of freezing humans as soon as they die, with the hope of reviving them using future medicine. "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," McCann wrote. In the fundraiser, she said that she planned to use the money for the "immediate cryopreservation and legal transportation," medical and legal services for the procedure and a trust in her son's name. McCann said she wants to use the money raised to ensure "this never happens again." "Please help us preserve our beloved Atreyu and give his life the dignity and future that his school stole from him," the fundraiser said. Australia's only cryogenics facility is on board to try. "100% sure — we're not certain. No guarantees. But there's a reasonable probability," Peter Tsolakides of Southern Cryonics told 7News. According to the company's website, its mission is to promote "scientifically based cryonic suspension as a credible option for life extension." The website says cryonic suspension involves encasing a body, cooling it to a vitrified state over several days, placing it in a stainless-steel vessel, and long-term maintenance of a liquid nitrogen storage environment to prevent the deterioration of tissues "for centuries if necessary." As of Tuesday afternoon, over $7,300 AUD had been raised. McCann had shared an Instagram post over the weekend, announcing her son's death. "As my worst nightmare has come to life my child's has been stolen. It breaks my heart beyond what words can compare to share that in a moment of unbearable pain Atreyu took his own life," she wrote. "This was not his fault. He was let down by the schooling system as he suffered horrendous amounts of bullying," she continued. "Now I humbly beg of 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." McCann did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit for additional resources. This article was originally published on
NBC News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Australian actress starts fundraiser to cryogenically preserve son, who died by suicide after bullying
A mother in Australia is raising money to cryogenically preserve her 13-year-old son's body after he died by suicide following "months of brutal bullying," according to the online fundraiser. Clare McCann, an actress and filmmaker from New South Wales, launched the fundraiser on Sunday, explaining that her son, Atreyu McCann, died May 23. She wrote that her teenage son "took his own life after months of horrific bullying at his public school." The mother explained she repeatedly asked her son's school and the Department of Education and Children's Services to intervene, "but nothing was done. No one stepped. And now, my beautiful boy is gone," the fundraiser says. The New South Wales Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. McCann told 7News Sydney that from the moment her son started high school, he was subjected to bullying. Even following her son's death, she said no students were disciplined. "None of them were suspended, none of them were expelled. I feel completely let down," she told the Australian outlet. McCann is seeking $300,000 to preserve his body within the next seven days — "or the opportunity for him to live again will be lost forever." Cryopreservation is the concept of freezing humans as soon as they die, with the hope of reviving them using future medicine. "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," McCann wrote. In the fundraiser, she said that she planned to use the money for the "immediate cryopreservation and legal transportation," medical and legal services for the procedure and a trust in her son's name. McCann said she wants to use the money raised to ensure "this never happens again." "Please help us preserve our beloved Atreyu and give his life the dignity and future that his school stole from him," the fundraiser said. Australia's only cryogenics facility is on board to try. "100% sure — we're not certain. No guarantees. But there's a reasonable probability," Peter Tsolakides of Southern Cryonics told 7News. According to the company's website, its mission is to promote "scientifically based cryonic suspension as a credible option for life extension." The website says cryonic suspension involves encasing a body, cooling it to a vitrified state over several days, placing it in a stainless-steel vessel, and long-term maintenance of a liquid nitrogen storage environment to prevent the deterioration of tissues "for centuries if necessary." As of Tuesday afternoon, over $7,300 AUD had been raised. McCann had shared an Instagram post over the weekend, announcing her son's death. "As my worst nightmare has come to life my child's has been stolen. It breaks my heart beyond what words can compare to share that in a moment of unbearable pain Atreyu took his own life," she wrote. "This was not his fault. He was let down by the schooling system as he suffered horrendous amounts of bullying," she continued. "Now I humbly beg of 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." McCann did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Sky News AU
12-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News AU
Seven star Angela Cox opens up about the 'double heartbreak' of losing her mother and letting go of her own motherhood dream
Channel Seven newsreader Angela Cox has opened up about losing her mother and the emotional journey of accepting she may never have children of her own. The popular 7News Sydney anchor revealed in an emotional interview that her mother died just one day before Mother's Day, as Cox herself was quietly grieving the realisation that her "window to motherhood" had closed. The Mackay-born journalist told Stellar she shared a final, heartbreaking evening with her mum before she died, following a four-year battle with eptomeningeal disease, a rare form of brain cancer. Larelle had first been diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years earlier, which metastasised four times into brain tumours. Cox said a strong feeling led her to abandon her usual post-bulletin routine and head straight to the palliative care home where her 71-year-old mother was staying. "Normally I'd go home after work because she would sleep but that evening something didn't feel right. I sat with her, taking her vital signs," Cox said. Accompanied by her twin sister Belinda, brother Jason, and brother-in-law Trent, who had been the primary caregivers for her mother during the last four years of her life, Cox spent the night at her bedside. The next morning, she stepped out briefly to pick up coffees, and returned just in time. Within two minutes of Angela's arrival, Larelle took her final breath. "It's very much my mother that she would be dramatic and die the day before Mother's Day so we'll never ever forget that. She had a flair for the drama," she said, laughing through tears. Amid the pain of losing her mother, Cox was also navigating her own private heartache: accepting that the "fairy-tale" she'd envisioned of "having the house, husband and two kids" wasn't going to work out "that way" for her. "When the window to motherhood closed it was a difficult time of shifting how I saw myself and my life and having to embrace the positives." While Cox admitted she felt like she "had a ton of bricks on my chest" after her mum's death, she found perspective in the loss. "I refuse to be a person who becomes bitter, resentful, sad and joyless because I don't have what I thought I was going to have," she said. Cox, who first made her mark on Spotlight in 2017, has had a glittering career with Channel Seven spanning more than two decades. As the network's US correspondent, she covered everything from the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, to the Olympics, and even stood in the Oval Office when President Obama met then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. In September 2024, she was named co-anchor of the 6pm 7News Sydney bulletin alongside veteran journalist Mark Ferguson, a major milestone in her career. Outside of work, Cox said she's rediscovered joy through surfing, one of her mother's favourite pastimes, and is determined to live "the most adventurous, colourful life". It's understood she's currently in a long-distance relationship with London-based real estate professional Philip Griffiths. "I've experienced beautiful passionate love in my life and I want to keep having deep, meaningful connections until I die," she said.
