Update

Tommee Tippee, the company that once produced Ben’s favorite cup, has released fantastic news. When this story first came out, they said they no longer had the materials needed to produce the cup. However, they recently discovered that they did have the necessary production tools tucked away. They have since offered to make Ben 500 more cups—enough to last him for the rest of his life.

Thanks to all of you who have shared this story and/or worked to find more cups for Ben. You guys are amazing!

Since he was two years old, now 14-year-old Ben has been drinking out of the same kind of cup: a blue Tommee Tippee. Absolutely nothing else will do, and that is not an exaggeration. Ben has even been hospitalized for dehydration when he has been without this particular cup.

That’s why his dad, Marc Carter, has been increasingly concerned lately. Material objects obviously don’t last forever, and Ben’s three-year-old Tommee Tippee is mere weeks away from the end of its life. The cup has been out of production for about 10 years now, so Carter has reached out to the internet for help, asking if anyone had an exact replica that could replace Ben’s.

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

Because the internet is awesome when it comes to these kinds of requests, the post has gone viral and a number of people have reached out. Carter, needless to say, is incredibly touched.

“It has genuinely moved me to tears,” he said. “It’s incredible that you all want to help.”

He has already gotten several cups from generous donors, but more are needed. “The reality is Ben is unlikely to change, so I will need these for the rest of his life. That’s a lot of cups.”

Tommee Tippee has reached out to the Carters, but unfortunately they were only able to send one cup they had lying around, as they no longer possess the production tools necessary to manufacture this product. It’s up to us now.

So on behalf of Ben and his family, we want to ask you: Do you have this cup? If so, please send a private Facebook message to Tommee Tippee with a picture of the cup you have. You can also message Carter on Twitter through @PMPProject.

Even if you don’t have a replica of this cup, please share this story with everyone you know; we want this to spread like wildfire!