A YOUNG woman, whose three siblings suffer from a rare bleeding disorder, will today find out whether she has won a national award in recognition of the support she has given them.

Farrah Allarakha has dedicated herself to making sure her teenage brothers and sister have the care and medication they need to avoid suffering from life-threatening internal bleeding.

Her two brothers, Riaz, 13, and Ridwan, 14, and sister Farzila, 18, are all affected by the rare genetic condition von Willebrand's disease, which stops the blood from clotting properly.

Any slight knock can cause dangerous internal bleeding and, even more frighteningly, this can also start spontaneously.

Ridwan and Riaz, in particular, need dedicated care because they bleed daily, often without knocking or injuring themselves.

And, to make life even harder, Farrah's mother Shakila suffers from severe arthritis so struggles to cope and also needs help from her daughter.

As a result, Farrah decided in 2010 that it was too difficult for her to continue living in Keele, where she was studying at university.

So, she moved back to the family home, in Uttoxeter New Road, Derby.

She spent four hours commuting to university each day in order to complete a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

But there has been an upside to all of this for 22-year-old Farrah, as she has now been put forward for a Buddy Award.

The awards are being given out for the first time today in recognition of those who have supported young people with bleeding conditions.

Farrah and her family are due to travel to London Zoo for a ceremony starting at 2pm, where winners will be presented with their awards by children's television stars Dick and Dom.

Farrah said being nominated felt "quite special".

She said: "I'm excited to know if I've won but I'm also just looking forward to the event because I'll get to meet doctors and families with similar conditions."

Farrah's brothers and sister wrote on their nomination form that they wanted to put her forward for the award to show her how much she was "appreciated and loved".

They added: "We hope there is a Farrah in every household, where people have a condition such as ours.

"Without Farrah we couldn't cope at all. She always has a smile on her face and she never complains."

The national Buddy Award programme is organised by the UK Haemophilia Society and Novo Nordisk Limited, a haemophilia care company.

Chris James, chief executive of the UK Haemophilia Society, said: "The lack of public awareness of such disorders means that families and friends take on a great deal of responsibility for their sibling or friend and this often goes unnoticed.

"The awards celebrate the invaluable contribution they make, while also drawing public attention to this poorly understood condition."