Speaking Out
“It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward,” famed pilot says
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, the pilot who performed the “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009, revealed on Tuesday that doctors have diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s disease. He learned of the diagnosis in August 2025, according to People.
“It is early stage,” he told the magazine. “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.”
The first signs that something was wrong, Sully said, was when he noticed he’d started forgetting things, since he once had a photographic memory. Sullenberger’s wife, Lorrie, told People that Sully remained focused. “That strength and steadiness is guiding us as a family,” she said. “We’re supporting him on this journey that we now walk with so many other families. Though the future is uncertain, we continue to live our lives, have hope, and find joy in the everyday.”
