PULLING THROUGH – a survivor’s story

Jennifer Willis speaks about finding hope and healing in the aftermath of a behind the scenes ‘Reality TV’ tragedy for her and her family.

Emerging in 2014 as participants on NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent’. The Tennessee-based Willis Clan was introduced as 12 singing and dancing siblings with ages ranging from 3 to 22. In 2015, they landed their own reality show on TLC entitled ‘The Willis Family’. By all accounts they were a highly bankable product with the world at their feet. That world was to come crashing down just two years later, when in 2016  patriarch Toby Willis was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for years of incestuous sexual abuse against underage family members. He subesquently pleaded guilty to four counts of child rape last year and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. With the MeToo movement dominating headlines, the Willis family knows that a message of resiliency, hope and encouragement is timely and important. Jennifer wants to encourage people who identify with their experience to seek out professional help or even just confidantes who will listen.“You can live beyond any traumatic experience and you can live a life that is full of joy and peace and just happiness”. Join us in Tailors Hall to witness a brave public interview about finding light at the end of the darkest tunnel.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, please contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s National 24-Hour Helpline 1800 77 88 88.