Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, known for his miraculous landing on the Hudson River, has announced that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. On January 15, 2009, Sullenberger successfully landed a US Airways flight on the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines. This event is famously known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
Sullenberger stated in a recent announcement, “I recently found out I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. 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.”
In a symbolic gesture, Sullenberger threw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets on May 26, 2025, in New York. “This disease, [my doctor] has told me, spares no age group and impacts millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door,” he added.
Sullenberger’s heroic actions and life-saving landing were portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2016 film “Sully.” Many passengers from the 155 on board referred to his actions as being “guided by angels” during the 10th-anniversary interview with Nexstar’s WPIX.
“Over the years, when people would ask about the successful outcome of Flight 1549, I would say that ‘courage can be contagious,’ and on that day, it helped everyone band together to get everyone off that airplane successfully. Now we need that courage to battle this disease. I am now part of a larger community with many of you, and we will be courageous together,” said Sullenberger.
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 7.4 million Americans live with the disease, which currently has no cure.
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