LONDON, ONT. -- A family of 12 siblings has won the Guinness World Record for the highest combined age, totalling 1,042 years and 315 days on Dec. 15.
The D’Cruz siblings' ages range from 75 years old to 97.
It just so happens that the youngest sibling of the D’Cruz family is a local.
"We won the title…you should have heard the cheers and excitement," says Genia D’Cruz Carter, who lives on Commissioners Road in London.
Genia, who’s referred to as 'the baby', says the family may be up for another record any day now for their scheduled Zoom meetings.
Every day at 11 a.m., all 12 family members sign onto the video conferencing app Zoom, to discuss their days and fondest memories.
"Since we started doing Zoom, we’ve got so much closer," says 80-year-old Teresa.
"Ever since we got close, the ties are so tight they can never be broken," adds 93-year-old Joyce.
The family were all born in Karachi, Pakistan. Over the years the family has spread out across Canada, the United States and Switzerland.
"We were all born in Pakistan and my father (Michael) died when I was a-year-and-a-half, and our main aim in life was to survive and that's what we did," says Genia.
Genia and her siblings' mother, Cecilia, gave birth to all 12 children in just 22 years. She died at the age of 66.
"What I remember most about her is that she really looked after us," says 84-year-old Francesca. "I was very good in sports because when my mom was angry at me she would throw a slipper but I would duck," laughs Joe, 86 and counting.
The family says they never run out of things to talk about and they look forward to their daily Zoom calls every morning.
They also want to remind others that their loved ones are only a phone call away.
"We always looked after one another I think that is the secret, we didn’t have a lot but we loved and cared for one another," says Genia.
