Story highlights The boy would only drink from one sippy cup now out of production

Company tracks down original design, offers to make 500 replicas

(CNN) For Ben Carter, the beloved little blue cup wasn't just a drinking vessel -- it was a lifeline.

The 14-year-old, who has severe autism, has drunk from the distinctive two-handled cup since he was a toddler. He refuses to sip from anything else even after it resulted in more than one trip to the hospital due to dehydration.

So when Ben's father Marc Carter found the crucial sippy cup was wearing out, he launched a global plea.

"These cups are not made anymore, the replacements are all new and fancy, we've tried them, Ben throws them at us," Carter said in a tweet, shared thousands of times.

"Maybe you have one stuck at the back of a cupboard?" he asked.

Read More