Faced with the pending demise of his autistic son's beloved sippy cup, Marc Carter turned to the internet in hopes of finding a replica of the out-of-production vessel—the only one 14-year-old Ben will drink from, reports Mashable. And come through the internet did: Before long, dozens of cups were arriving from all over the world, and the hashtag #CupForBen caught the attention of the original manufacturer, Tommee Tippee. Now Carter is taking to the internet again, this time in a video on YouTube, to announce that the company has not only found its original manufacturing plans for the cup, it's also making a batch of 500 just for Ben.
Tommee Tippee announced on Twitter that the "overwhelming love and support shown across social channels" is ensuring that Ben has a lifetime supply, and Carter, who cares full time for his three kids in Devon, England, tells the BBC it's better than winning the lottery. "This tiny blue cup dictates our life," he says. "Some people think I'm exaggerating, but without it he doesn't drink, so personally I'm very relieved." He adds that he hopes to continue a larger conversation about autism, and how parents and caregivers are the experts for their children. "When you've met a child of autism, you've met one child of autism," he says in the video. "You do not know every child, you do not know my son." (Nearly the same thing happened when an autistic girl needed a new shirt.)
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