When Peter Sykes 'died', he found himself in a room full of spirits he recognised as relatives guiding him towards an open door.

But something, or someone, told him it was not his time and after a month-long coma following a stroke, he woke in a Sydney hospital to a family shocked and delighted to see him alive and functioning so well.

The ancestors he felt had greeted him in his near-death experience were also to see Mr Sykes through his miraculous recovery - researching and documenting them became the pastime that helped him recover physical and cognitive function.

Starting with a single finger, he typed thousands of names, recalled relationships and mapped generations.

Today, the 56-year-old from Gladesville's tree includes 17,000 relatives, spanning convicts, pioneers and Vikings b

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