'You can still go on and do big things': Bravehearts favorite Jason Gilow delivers message of hope on Parkinson's disease

WORCESTER — Jason Gilow wasn’t feeling quite right.

The 45-year-old Palmer resident, who previously resided in Millbury, found himself occasionally forgetting things he would typically remember. And the dexterity in his right, or dominant, hand was digressing.

“It was really, really noticeable,” Gilow matter of factly said Thursday afternoon at Fitton Field, where he manages the merchandise stand for the Worcester Bravehearts.

“Typing and texting were a little bit harder, a little more difficult, and I just felt like something was up, so I pursued it.”That was in January of 2019.

So Gilow, known to one and all as “Brodie” — a nickname that has stuck with him since he worked as a DJ for 96.9 the Fox in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in his younger days — sought medical advice.

After multiple tests, the diagnosis, confirmed by a second opinion, was that he had Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of primarily the central nervous system that affects balance, movement and muscle control along with one’s mental health.

There is no known cure for Parkinson’s, but the disease isn’t fatal and life expectancy is close to the national average.“It’s a multi-faceted thing,” Gilow said when asked how it’s impacted his life. “Do I notice that I don’t do certain things as well as I used to? Absolutely. There are reminders every day.

“Little things like taking my keys or my wallet out of my pocket. It’s a little more difficult than it used to be.”

Gilow is on two forms of medication, both of which help, and has increased his activity level, which can slow the disease’s progress.

“I’ve had to come to the realization that I’m not able to do the things I used to do,” said Gilow, who went public with his health condition earlier this month. “Now, I’m not totally helpless.

“I guess that’s part of the message that I want to put out there, that there’s a message of hope. Yes, you can be impacted, but you can still go on and do big things.”

Like, say, opening your own business.

Uni Stories Vintage Sports, which is located in Suite 3 at 172 Shrewsbury St., held a soft opening Saturday with a grand opening scheduled for mid-September once Gilow raises awareness and funds for the third time by cycling 10 miles in The New England Parkinson’s Ride on Sept. 7 in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

The clothing store for sports enthusiasts offers vintage jerseys, hats, T-shirts, polos, and hoodies galore that are “priced to meet the needs of the average fan.”

As for the “Stories” in the name, well …

“Every jersey tells a story,” said Gilow, whose personal collection of jerseys is vast and varied. “If you have a jersey hanging in your closet, you think of a certain moment. It brings back memories.”

Gilow, a proud Packers fan who was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, graduated with a degree in media and communications management from the UMass’ University Without Walls Department of Interdisciplinary Studies after beginning his collegiate career more than a decade earlier at Butler University in Indianapolis.

“As I like to say, ‘Senior year was the best 13 years of my life,’ ” Gilow said with a smile and a laugh.

In addition to a fervor for sports clothing, Gilow has experience in promotions, sales and merchandising from working in the radio, insurance and retail industries.

The time was right to merge all that experience and knowledge and open Uni Stories Vintage Sports (uni-stories.com, Uni Stories on Facebook).

“It’s always been my dream to own my own business, run my own business and work for myself,” Gilow said. “Nothing really clicked until this idea came to me.

“I’m known for my love of jerseys. I’ve had multiple people come up to me at the ballpark and say, ‘I’ve never seen you wear anything but jerseys.’ So it’s a passion of mine and it’s something that has been on my mind for years.”

Gilow, a doting dad to his two children, Finnegan, 10, and Britta, 9, moved from the Midwest to Massachusetts in 2007.Exuberant, enthusiastic and witty, Gilow got involved with the local sports scene five years later, serving as the on-field host for Worcester Tornadoes in their final season.

He has worked for the Bravehearts in various capacities, including public address announcer and on-field host, since their inaugural season in 2014, and was the arena host for the Worcester Railers for four seasons.

A self-conscious Gilow elected to tell very few people after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. One of those who knew was Bravehearts general manager Dave Peterson.

“I figured it was important for him to know,” Gilow said.

The two had been discussing some sort of Parkinson’s fundraiser the past few years, and it finally came to fruition this summer. On July 19, the Bravehearts held a Parkinson’s Awareness Night at Fitton Field.

The players wore specially designed jerseys that were auctioned off after the game while Gilow threw out the first pitch.

“That’s what they did for me as show of support, which I will always appreciate,” a grateful Gilow said, noting multiple times the whole evening is still “surreal” to him.

—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'You can still go on and do big things': Bravehearts favorite Jason Gilow delivers message of hope on Parkinson's disease