Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger — who famously saved 155 passengers by landing a plane in the Hudson River in 2009 — has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Sullenberger, 75, shared the news Tuesday in a statement on his website, adding that it’s “early stage Alzheimer’s.”
“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 said, as first reported by People.
The retired pilot — who was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2016 film Sully — said he and his wife, Lorrie, decided to share his diagnosis to raise awareness about the progressive neurodegenerative disease.
“Like millions of families that are impacted by this disease, we debated next steps,” he wrote. “I have spent my life in service, in the U.S. Air Force, as a commercial airline pilot, an accident investigator, as the U.S. Ambassador to ICAO. I have advocated for the safety of the traveling public for decades.”
“And of course after the landing of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, I used the greater voice afforded to me by The Miracle on the Hudson to further aviation safety by speaking out on the many issues facing the industry. I was proud to work with many colleagues, fighting for increased pilot training, more pilot rest, in favor of the two-pilot rule, on increased technology issues, and more,” he continued.
Sullenberger explained: “So 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.”
He went on to say that the Miracle on the Hudson showed the importance of hope to him and his family, saying, “we can all use a little of that hope right now.”
Sullenberger was deemed a hero when he successfully landed a doomed plane in New York City’s Hudson River on January 15, 2009, after the vessel hit a flock of geese and lost both engines. Despite the forceful landing, all 155 people on board survived and got out of the river safely.
“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,” he concluded the statement.
“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.”