A 14-year-old with autism could only drink from one cup so the company who made it did the most beautiful thing

Make sure you have tissues ready before you read this one, because this story is the reason for the phrase “read ’em and weep.” We’re typing through tears, okay? Recently, a father in the UK reached out to Reddit for help with tracking down a discontinued cup favored by his autistic son. Not only is the sippy cup they bought for their severely austistic son, Ben, who’s now 14, his favorite — it’s the only cup he’ll drink out of. In fact, while out of the house and without the sippy cup, Ben refuses to drink altogether, even to the extent of having to be hospitalized for dehydration.

Unfortunately, the company that made Ben’s cup stopped manufacturing it years ago, and his parents were desperate. Luckily, as usual, the internet came through, making Ben’s father’s search a viral scavenger hunt, and a surprise tweetstorm that raised awareness for autism.

https://www.instagram.com/p/status

Many people, sympathetic to Ben’s plight, including a sippy cup manufacturer who hardcore got on the case.

For anyone who's still on the search for a #CupForBen here's a handy guide to help identify the correct cup pic.twitter.com/bVvr3xLfCd

— tommee tippee UK (@tommeetippee_UK) November 18, 2016

We're on it. #CupForBen pic.twitter.com/1lmxRQXHzB

— tommee tippee UK (@tommeetippee_UK) November 15, 2016

We're still on the case BUT we now know it's a cup made for @BootsUK 10+ years ago. We thought this might help everyone's search #CupForBen

— tommee tippee UK (@tommeetippee_UK) November 15, 2016

And they were successful! Tommee Tippee UK decided to manufacture 500 sippy cups for Ben and his family.

Dad over the moon as @TommeeTippee_UK agree to make 500 sippy cups for son with autism https://t.co/6fb2r44DE6 pic.twitter.com/zWax6L31iN

— HuffPost UK Parents (@HPUKParents) November 30, 2016

Ben and his father’s thank you will require a whole other box of tissues, tbh.

#ICYMI More joy for @GrumpyCarer, thanks to @tommeetippee_UK #CupForBenhttps://t.co/AV8LjF9qDz pic.twitter.com/RXPoylmfAs

— ITV News Tyne Tees (@itvtynetees) November 29, 2016

We love a happy ending, and we’re thrilled to know that Ben and his parents are going to have something to make their lives a little easier.