For My Kids: A Glimpse of What You're Made Of

This blog is primarily for my children, although my husband's parents, Mom and Dad Birmingham, will rightfully enjoy it as well;) 

Kids, here is what you need to know.

I love you turkeys!  

A lot. 

I know you might get tired of my constant "pep talks" about working with excellence, and being diligent, and choosing kindness, and why we change our socks.  

Believe me, I get as tired of saying this stuff as you do hearing it, but there are reasons why I am spending the prime years of my life standing behind you with an armload of books, a bull horn, and a bar of soap.  

You are bundles of potential.  You have beautiful gifts and talents.  You are blessed with health and intelligence.  You have energy and vigor and youth and I believe you could be used as instruments of peace and discovery and healing in a twisted, broken, and pain-wracked world.  

No pressure:)

Seriously.  I don't expect you to fix thousands of years of damage all by yourselves, but I do know that God could use you here if you will let Him.  

The truth is that in order to be ready for that good work, you will need to put in some effort on the front end.  

Starting now.

It requires using your hours and minutes wisely.  

It means learning self discipline and self denial.

It means bending your ear to wise counselors...

And struggling against laziness and lethargy.

And living up to reasonable expectations.

And exercising humility.

And choosing kindness.

And standing up against evil, wherever it is found.

And seeking knowledge.

And caring about people.

And striving for excellence.

And laughing at yourself.

And loving truth.


And trusting God.

And while all these things may seem overwhelming when viewed in a pile, they are individually within your grasp.

Beautiful lives are built by choosing one small, good thing after another.  

Small steps and little decisions set the path for an entire lifetime.  

Don't be discouraged by the fact that it is hard, because it is hard.  

All the best things are.

And don't be discouraged when you feel like a rubber ducky being swallowed by a tidal wave of apathetic drifters.  

You are loved by the King of the Universe.  If you belong to Him, you are safe.

You are also loved by your parents.  Forever.  This doesn't mean you won't ever hurt us or disappoint us.  It just means you cannot lose our love and that we will never give up on you.  No matter what.  

It is with this preface that I offer to you a glimpse of what can happen when a shy, small boy from a big family takes one hard step and then another, and with God's help, builds a life which has brought honor to his parents, and earned respect from his colleagues, gratitude from his patients, and love from his family.  

This man is not a natural extrovert.  He is not flashy.  He is quiet and thoughtful and prone to being reclusive.  He didn't love school or thrive in social situations.  He was a boy of few words who wanted to live mainly in his own head.  (Ask his mom how many times she found him hiding in the garage--hours after she had sent him off to school.)

But he grew up and met God, and learned to embrace life with all it's joys and challenges and opportunities and roadblocks.  And he has made a difference in the lives of many people.

This man is your Daddy, and I don't want you to learn these special things about him from his obituary one day.  

You should know whose footsteps you walk in.  You are all cut of the same stuff as he is, and you all serve the same God, so no matter what field of ministry you end up in, whether it be in medicine, or music, or manufacturing, or motherhood, you can shine!

Your Daddy is modest and does not talk about his achievements, which is why I had to wait until he was inducted into his high school's hall of fame last weekend, swipe his official bio, and then post it behind his back in order to make sure you knew:)  Sorry Jamey!  

 Mom and Dad Birmingham, congratulations on raising such a fine son!  Jamey, we are all so proud of you.

Hall of Fame Bio.

Dr. James Birmingham, a 1990 graduate of Roy C. Start High School, finished 6^th in his graduating class after a four year career with the Spartan football team.  He was an Academic All City Honoree in his senior year.   

In high school, he earned three varsity letters for football, and was a member of the National Honor Society, serving one year as its vice president.  He was also a member of the Spanish Honor Society, and was elected Homecoming King in his senior year.  He earned a number of academic scholarships, including one from the Toledo Old Newsboys.

Following high school, Jamey, as he is known by his friends and family, embarked upon a four year Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry at Hillsdale College.   

During his college years, he was an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, the Beta Beta Beta national biological honor society, and the Sigma Zeta national science and mathematics honor society.  He also participated for two years as walk-on for the Hillsdale Chargers football team as a scout team wide receiver.  

Upon graduation, he was accepted into The Ohio State University College of Medicine where he completed his doctor of medicine degree in 1998.  During his first year at Ohio State, he was married to his lovely wife, Sandra. Additionally, he was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the US Army Medical Corp as part of the Health Professions Scholarship program.  During this commission he served two active duty training periods in San Antonio at Brook Army Medical Center before an illness led to an honorable discharge from the Army.  

At this juncture, he then pursued a civilian residency program in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.  He received his top choice for residency at the Michigan State University in Grand Rapids.  His residency got off to a rocky start when, on the weekend before he was to begin his training, he was burned in an accident and was hospitalized in a burn unit for five days. 

Despite this event and the need to undergo two other surgical procedures during his four year program, he finished on time and graduated with his incoming class in 2002.  For the following year, he worked as a hospitalist and emergency room physician in a small community hospital, building upon experiences gained during his residency. 

 

Following this brief one year hiatus from formal education, Jamey began his fellowship in Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology at Duke University in 2003.  Once again, he had to fight through several illness-induced setbacks, including being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and experiencing complications from a major knee surgery.  Despite these difficulties, he completed his fellowship in the allotted time and along the way initiated a clinical trial for prevention of cartilage damage following acute knee injuries in humans.   

Other highlights of his time at Duke include the submission of several research grants, the opportunity to present nearly two dozen academic talks to residents, fellows, and staff, and the publication of a number of scholarly works, including annual rheumatology meeting abstracts, review articles, and clinical trial results. 

  Among his most impactful work was his role as primary investigator in an interventional trial intended to help prevent degenerative joint disease by interrupting interleukin 1 signaling within the knee following acute trauma.  The goal of this pilot research is to facilitate the prevention and possible cure of osteoarthritis, particularly following injury.   

After completion of his fellowship and board examinations, he held four board certifications, including two in Internal medicine and Rheumatology from the American Board of Internal Medicine, and two more certifications in Pediatrics and Rheumatology from the American Board of Pediatrics.

From Duke, Dr. Birmingham returned to Grand Rapids, MI as an associate professor of medicine affiliated with Michigan State University, where he was named Division Chief of the first ever pediatric rheumatology division at the Helen Devos Children’s hospital.  

 During his time in these roles, he has maintained a busy clinical practice while remaining active in academics, teaching medical students, nursing students, and medical and pediatric residents.  He also instructs faculty and staff of affiliated hospitals through direct mentorship, lectures, and grand rounds presentations.  He has also continued to pursue research opportunities, including various clinical trials, patient registries (including the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Association, CARRA), and several case series, achieving nearly a dozen national publications. 

His research work has included publication of important findings regarding the use of interleukin 1 inhibition therapy in patients with systemic onset juvenile arthritis (e.g. the RAPPORT study) well as the use of IL-1 inhibitor therapy for critically ill patients with macrophage activation syndrome.   

These studies have helped to provide numerous children with a life changing therapy--one which involves less toxicity and morbidity than previous treatment options, impacting a change in treatment guidelines nationally.  

 In addition to his academic and clinical activities, Jamey has served as an advocate for childhood arthritis awareness through local television and newspaper interviews, and promotion of the Arthritis Foundation annual walk and the Jingle Bell Run.  

Recently, Jamey has also co-authored two chapters of Nelson’s Textbook of Pediatrics on juvenile onset spondyloarthritis and reactive arthritis. 

During his time in work and academics, Jamey has endeavored to keep his family and his faith at the forefront of all his activities.  He has participated actively in his churches from Columbus, to Grand Rapids, to Durham, and back to the Grand Rapid area including volunteer activities, sports teams, and ministry support.   

His family has grown to include seven children, ranging in age from 5 to 19, including four adopted through foster care.  Jamey enjoys spending time with his wife of 20 years, especially reading and discussing good books with her.  They homeschool their children, and they both enjoy time spent as a family, playing games, reading, and doing Bible studies, as well as attending the vast array of their children’s sports and musical events! 

 

Jamey is grateful to his parents and family for their love and support, and for the teachers and coaches he learned from during his years at Start High School.  He appreciates the role they all played in helping instill in him an interest about the world, inspiring him to work hard, and encouraging him to pursue his goals.