"For so many years in Venezuela, I had a wonderful life with my son, daughter and husband. Having established a paediatric clinic in Caracas with a colleague, I loved my work and my wonderful team and had a great social life with lots of local friends and family," says Dr Niloha Rangel, 51.
But political instability and economic collapse changed all of that for her and her family.
"By 2016, the country was facing severe shortages of both food and medical supplies. There were huge job losses, much unrest, and kidnapping was rife. As people took to the streets in protest, there were mass imprisonments, with many families not knowing where their relatives were.
"I was devastated to see so many children suffering from malnutrition and unable to help many sick patients, as I had no access to vital medications like antibiotics or anaesthetics.
"Alongside many other medics, I joined the protests and was frequently tear-gassed.
"Our clinic was also attacked after I raised the Red Cross flag over it to try to protect my patients under the 1949 Geneva Convention. It felt like living in a war zone."
"My identity as a medical activist became known after I gave a high-profile radio interview about the state of the country, and I was arrested and tortured, with my release only secured after my brother paid for it.
"Soon afterwards, my 18-year-old son (who prefers not to be named) was kidnapped for three days, and again we had to pay $20k to secure his release.
"I realised it was simply not safe to stay in the country. My family tried to persuade me to stay and live in hiding, but I knew that I would eventually be found, so I made a plan for my son and me to escape."
Our escape
"We drove for 12 hours to the border and at 4am one morning late in 2017 made the terrifying crossing of the 3km bridge between Venezuela and Colombia, together with thousands of other refugees.
"I was so afraid of being recognised that I disguised myself as an old lady in a wheelchair with thick glasses and a white wig – I was 43 but looked 83! As my son pushed me to safety, my heart was pounding. It was the scariest thing I have ever done, and I was terrified we would be detained.
"Having safely got to a refugee camp, I got in touch with the Salvation Army to offer my services as a medic, and spent a year there treating fellow displaced people.
"However, it was no life as I couldn’t leave the camp or walk anywhere freely for fear of being captured by the Venezuelan military, who were still present in Colombia around the camps.
"In 2018, the Salvation Army gave my son and me the opportunity to go to the UK. It was tough to accept that we needed to start all over again, but we were destitute and homeless, so looking for permanent asylum in a safe country seemed the only option."
Starting again
"Arriving in Wrexham in Wales, we were so lucky to be taken in by the Thomas family – an older couple whose grown-up children had moved out and had chosen to host refugees. It’s amazing that I am still living with them now, all these years later. They saved us.
"I started volunteering again with the British Red Cross and took up English speaking classes at college. With only £26 a week of benefits, we survived on kind donations of clothes and food bank supplies before I started to earn some money through my research work.
"I soon made some friends and began running again through Park Run."
Working again
"I was granted asylum in 2019 and started the necessary retraining to be able to work as a doctor in the UK. Since then, I have contributed to many research papers and conferences as a keynote speaker.
"I even recently had a piece of work published in the esteemed medical journal The Lancet, which was a wonderful achievement.
"It took some time for my wounds to heal and to feel I really belonged. I still greatly miss my family, and especially my daughter, who remains in Venezuela, but she comes to visit often.
"I have never regretted what I did in standing up for the rights of my patients and colleagues. It cost me a lot, but Wales is such a beautiful country, which I’m now proud to call home, and I’m fully involved in life here, including becoming an ardent fan of Wrexham AFC and even meeting Ryan Reynolds!
"I continue to speak out for the rights of asylum seekers and to take on new battles for fellow displaced families every day – I’m currently working to get free transport passes for refugees.
"I want to help others who find themselves in a similarly hard situation to see that it is possible to reinvent yourself and create a new, happy life. I believe everyone deserves a chance for a new beginning and the opportunity to live in peace."
