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Roots & Gene’s Inspiration

R&G Foundation is a Not-For Profit Social Enterprise

Inspiration and Origins​

I grew up in a typical 70’s family home with a constant revolving front door. If it was not the neighbours, it was relatives or family friends, and each visit culminated in a summons to the living room whereupon the all too familiar question was asked; “Do you know who this is?” Then followed not just the names but where they’ve come from, their connection to the family or how we were related. Frankly, in a society where as a young person you addressed every adult (related to you or not) as Uncle or Aunty, this was actually a good time when for a change, you got bombarded with the facts rather than usual inuendo. And yet, even so, all this was lost on some, especially me.

My mind was like a sieve and no sooner than they were gone, I’d forget. And this was probably not lost on our parents; Michael and Theresa. After many years of flogging a dead horse (me, and definitely one or two of my siblings), Dad started curating ‘Our Family Tree’.

Organically, it expanded and was fact checked ironically through the same family visitors. Older members within the extended family who visited were introduced exactly as before; summons yelled and the same old question asked; Do you know who this is? The relationships were explained and then the whole thing unfolded amongst the adults as they made further connection to the wider family and it was at that time that the family tree chart was brought out and corrections made and further connections added. The Tree grew and although heritage is immortalized through the birth of each new generation, ours, for the first time, was finally also being immortalized in words. Un-beknown to us, Theresa and Michael were giving us their greatest gift yet.

Mrs T [Smiling]
Mrs. Theresa

In 1982, Theresa’s mum died of cancer.
In 2008, Theresa’s sister died of cancer.
In 2014, Theresa’s Brother died of cancer.
In 2015, Theresa Died of Cancer, and finally, the penny dropped! Was there something we might have learned from a better curated generalogy of her family roots? What if a family tree was over-layered with cancer nodes, which in itself provided a vivid picture; a family cancer tree map? They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is Theresa’s family cancer tree map.

The fact/truth is that Theresa and Micheal’s gift to us and the extended family of our genealogy heritage was more than just our past heritage but also a portent and powerful tool to our and every other family’s health. Your Roots, can now literally save you! That’s Roots and Genes.

Please take a moment to visit Roots & Genes Foundation to find out more about the innovation this legacy that inspired.

Go to Roots and Genes Website
We are a for good social enterprise and 51% of our profits go to benefit the work of Theresa and Mikes Cancer Foundation in Africa and other Developing Countries. Most of our other profits are geared towards curation back stories and availing more historical birth, marriage and death information and medical records to as many people so they can all build accurate back stories.