A schoolgirl is raising awareness about a stomach disease which has left her being fed through a tube for more than a year.

Hafsa Momin, 17, was diagnosed with gastroparesis in February 2011, a condition which reduces the ability of the stomach to empty its contents.

Hafsa said: “I can’t eat or drink anything so I have to live off a feeding tube. If I did eat or drink something I would vomit throughout the whole day.”

But determined not to let it get her down, the Whitefield School student is turning her mind to helping others suffering with the same disease.

She has joined forces with Natalie Roux-Bean, who also suffers from gastroparesis, and together they are setting up Gift, a charity to raise money for people suffering with the disease.

The pair also plan to have a joint blog and Facebook page to help raise awareness about the disease.

With the help of her friends, Hafsa has already been busy raising cash for Gift.   

She said: “Without my friends I couldn’t have done anything. One came up with the idea of having a car-wash for our teachers and another came up with the idea of having a bake sale. They’ve been a big help.

“I feel nauseous all the time and I get a lot of pain, but doing this fundraising has helped to take my mind of it and it has put me at ease. I feel like I’m giving something back and helping people.”

So far Hafsa and her friends have raised £688, which they plan to split between Gift and Water Solution for Africa. They also plan to have a none uniform day to raise even more cash on Friday, July 20.

Headteacher Martin Lavelle, said: “The sheer energy and drive of the students involved in raising money for the Gift charity has been a salutary lesson to us all.

“Society at large should take note that young people today can be motivated by a willingness to improve the lives of others less fortunate than themselves and that they can be proactive and innovative in the ways that they achieve their goals.

“We have lots of remarkable students at Whitefield School, but none more so than those engaged in raising money and awareness for this worthy cause.”