'I escaped the Nazis as a child – now I'm fearful for my life in another global war'
The last year has been very challenging due to the pandemic, but when I think of what my parents endured during the war, how can I complain?
Renee Matyas at home in north London
Credit: Christopher Pledger for The Telegraph
My mother fell pregnant with me the month the Nazis marched into Amsterdam. It was May 1940 and life had become terrifying. Her doctor told her to abort me, as bringing a child into this world would be catastrophic. However, she was desperate to keep me, a sibling for her young son. “I came to you to keep the baby,” she told the doctor firmly, “not to take it away”.