Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger has revealed he’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
The 75-year-old retired US Airways pilot and aviation safety expert is best known for safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009 after the plane lost power in both engines.
His story was made into a film, Sully, which debuted in 2016. Tom Hanks portrayed him in the role.
“I recently found out I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease,” he revealed to People, adding he was diagnosed in August of 2025.
“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,” he added.
“My doctor, Dr. Gil Rabinovici with UCSF Medical Center, has opened my eyes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s. This disease, he has told me, spares no age group and impacts millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door,” he said.
“This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward. 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,” he revealed.
Here’s how Sully feels about Trump.
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