Ben’s friend Brett shared with us the details of his past Movember experiences and how his humor, kindness and sense of community, even when he was far from home, inspired others.
Ben Weible first grew a moustache for Movember in 2009 as part of a team with co-workers from insurance brokerage Aon while working in Los Angeles. That first year he brought in 33 donations to raise $3,320. In 2010, he grew an even more boisterous Mo to collect 41 donations for a total of $4,235.
After transferring to Singapore in 2011 to work as an associate director at reinsurance brokerage Aon Benfield, he kept growing his Movember moustache. Even though the moustache is beloved throughout Southern Asia, Ben’s Mo was somehow lost in translation.
“I take pride in your support of this good cause on my behalf,” he wrote in a Movember 16, 2011, email to supporters. “All the women in the office beg me to ‘shave your beard.’ They don't know the right word for it, bless them. Suffice to say it bothers them tremendously. I take pride in that, too.”
That year, Ben was “pretty much the only bloke in Singapore that decided to do Movember,” his colleagues in Singapore reported. This year an official Movember movement takes place in Singapore and they are inthe top 10 of highest fundraisers in the world and have over 2,000 registered Mo Bros and Mo Sistas. Sadly, Ben will not be there to show off his Mo in Singapore this year.
Ben died suddenly of an aneurysm in August 2011 at the age of 30. We lost a great brother, son, friend, and Mo Bro.
“Ben did not live a long life, but surely he succeeded in using the whole of his talent in the days allotted to him,” his father Mike Weible wrote shortly after Ben’s death. “Ben's sharp wit was beautifully offset by his great compassion for people, and for especially those people in great need. This is a gift from Shelley, his amazing mother.”
As a tribute to Ben, many men have sprouted their own moustaches in the last month, including several of his coworkers in Singapore and Los Angeles as well as friends from St. Charles, Ill., where Ben grew up. They have rallied to help the cause in his honor. His sister Katie created a memorial Movember page for Ben earlier this year and donations have come in from around the world.
“Movember was a cause near and dear to Benjamin’s heart,” Katie wrote on his page. “For several years his mo’-tivation was 'to raise a stash of cash whilst looking absurd', and he succeeded.” Mike Weible started things off with a generous contribution.
Family members, friends, and business associates all kicked in what they could, keeping Ben at the the top the individual leaderboard in the United States for the entire month of Movember. As of December 6 they have raised $23,857.
Though many of those who loved Ben would enjoy seeing him win the Mo Mo this year, they’re happy seeing a lot of donations raised to help find a cure for prostate and testicular cancer.
We can’t thank Ben’s family and friends enough for sharing his story with us and for allowing his memory to live on through the power of the Mo. It seems fitting to end with a few words from one of Ben’s 2011 Movember emails:
“Probably the only regular way I am reminded of getting older is how fast the time passes. It feels like just yesterday we were taking the mo' photo atop the Aon building in Los Angeles…. I hope you've all been well, happy and healthy since I last saw you… Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.
Be well,
Ben”
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