The world is full of badness: disease, death and destruction. Sometimes it's hard to believe that good things happen - but they do! This book will be full of all the stuff we never get to see on the TV screens, all the happy news! Acts of kindness...
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Earlier this year, a desperate plea from a carer of three children - all with special needs - resulted in a mass response of support and sympathy - giving us a much needed reminder that people can be nice.
Ben, who is 14, has severe autism, and only drinks from one blue sippy cup. Realising that this cup was falling apart and would only last a few more weeks, Marc, his father, knew something had to be done imminently.
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The 43 year old from Devon took to twitter to voice his concerns, in a plea that went viral with over 12, 000 re-tweets and many people offering to send cups, even from as far as Australia.
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Marc commented on how overwhelmed he'd felt at the response. He admitted the fact that some people may think this as an exaggeration, but was clear on how important this one cup is for Ben - it is not just a drinking vessel, but a lifeline. Ben refuses to drink from any other cup or even outside the house which has resulted in a couple of hospital admissions for severe dehydration. Even in hospital, he would attempt to pull out the tubes. 'This tiny blue cup dictates our life', Marc stated.
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Fortunately, the search for a sippy cup ended when Tommee Tippee, the makers of the cup, stepped in after seeing the reaction on social media. Although the particular design of Ben's cup is no longer in mass production, the company searched all their factories worldwide just to find a spare or abandoned plan of the design. They made 500 cups for Ben - a lifetime's supply, and sent them to the Carter family, free of charge. A spokesperson of the company said: 'This will ensure that he has a lifetime's supply and that his family won't ever have to worry about finding another cup for Ben'.
This uplifting story shows us that the majority of people - at least on twitter - accept the importance of stimming objects for neurodivergent kids - and whilst it does seem odd, people's sympathy and kind-heartedness was greater than any need of ridicule or shaming. And although the outcome may seem small, like it's no big deal, it's literally just made one boy's life. Isn't that nice?
