‘Hero Of The Hudson’ Sully Sullenberger Reveals Heartbreaking Diagnosis

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the retired airline captain who safely landed a passenger jet in the Hudson River after both engines failed in 2009, announced Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. 

Sullenberger, 75, announced the diagnosis in a statement on his website Tuesday.

“I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease,” he wrote. “It is early stage. For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey.”

Sullenberger became known as the “Hero of the Hudson” after safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River when a bird strike disabled both engines. All 155 people aboard survived.

Sullenberger said he was diagnosed by Dr. Gil Rabinovici at the UCSF Medical Center, calling Alzheimer’s an “unwanted visitor at the door.”  

“It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward,” he said. “And about hope – so many people told us after Flight 1549, that the outcome gave them hope. Lorrie, my incredible partner of 37 years, says we can all use a little of that hope right now.”

“So this new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up.”

Sullenberger closed by writing that although Alzheimer’s may affect his memory, it will not prevent him from appreciating the future alongside his family. He also returned to a phrase long associated with Flight 1549, writing that “courage can be contagious.”