DEVON, England — Ben Carter will only drink out of a very specific conveyance.
Carter, 13, who has autism, refuses to sip a beverage if it does not come through a blue Tommee Tippee cup, which have not been made in more than a decade.
So his father, Marc,
, and now people from across the country, as well as the cup manufacturer, are scouring their cupboards to send one.
The
reported Tuesday that Tommee Tippee has found the original mold for the discontinued cup, and will produce 500 cups, just for Ben.
The company, moved by the father's poignant request, announced the good news on Nov. 24:
BIG NEWS: We’re going to manufacture a batch of little blue cups for Ben! #CupForBen https://t.co/NrnFjFc4bn
— tommee tippee UK (@tommeetippee_UK) November 24, 2016
The family's search for the cup has gone viral.
“The chances of Ben ever using a normal cup are minimal. Maybe he never will,”
. “So if, in 10 years' time, we didn’t have any, it would be even harder to find some than it is today.”
This is the cup Ben has and needs lots more of, not different in any way, it has to be identical. Lots of pics to show what I mean :) pic.twitter.com/CpKSHRWKrf
— Grumpy Carer (@GrumpyCarer) November 15, 2016
Ben has suffered dehydration and was taken to the hospital twice for refusing to drink five days in a row.
“Genuinely, this little blue cup controls our life,”
. “We are terrified of taking it out of the house in case we lose it. It was lost at Ben’s school for 24 hours once and we didn’t sleep because Ben didn’t drink and we were terrified — genuinely terrified.”
Carter has been overwhelmed by the response, which included cup manufacturer
to find replacements.
Hello @GrumpyCarer we have a dedicated team at Tommee Tippee Towers searching the cupboards for Ben's cup! #FingersCrossed #CupForBen
— tommee tippee UK (@tommeetippee_UK) November 15, 2016
“It’s amazing that so many people have replied — really sweet,” Carter said. “Everyone has been a bit down recently because of what’s going on in the world, so it’s just nice to know there so many kind people out there.
He is expecting 10 cups, a good start.
“I’d like to have enough cups to last me a lifetime.”
My BIG #CupForBen UPDATE - please share for me! pic.twitter.com/D7F12fMIFl
— Grumpy Carer (@GrumpyCarer) November 15, 2016
Cox Media Group