LANGTREE, Devon, England (WCMH) — Ben Carter has used the same type of blue sippy cup since he was a toddler.
The 14-year-old, who is autistic, refuses to drink from anything else–even though he has been to the hospital several times for dehydration.
CNN reports that Ben’s father Marc started a worldwide plea for help when he realized the cup Ben had been using for 3 years was wearing down. The company, Tommee Tippee, stopped making the model Ben used about 10 years ago.
“These cups are not made anymore, the replacements are all new and fancy, we’ve tried them, Ben throws them at us,” Marc Carter said in a tweet, shared thousands of times.
“Maybe you have one stuck at the back of a cupboard?” he asked.
People from around the world offered blue sippy cups that looked similar, but none of them were the same. Ben wouldn’t drink from them.
The company heard the buzz about Ben’s favorite cup, and began a worldwide search for a matching cup.
In a statement on their website, Tommee Tippee UK explained they had staff in the United States, Australia, France and Hong Kong looking for just the right cup.
“We uncovered the original designs, dozens of old cup ranges, and finally a cup that just might match Ben’s,” the company wrote online. “We still had to confirm the colour with Marc, but behind the scenes there was an even bigger development. Our factory team discovered that the tools to make the original cups were still stored away and, crucially, they were in a usable condition.”
Meanwhile, people sent in cups that looked just like Ben’s to the company in hopes they would have the right one.
Tommee Tippee started production on a run of the original cup on November 24, and said they would ensure the Carter family has a lifetime supply. They made 500 for the teenager.
Carter shared a video on YouTube, thanking everyone for their support. He is now raising money for a documentary about Ben and other families of children with autism.