Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who saved 155 lives on the Hudson River in 2009, says he now faces his hardest challenge yet: Alzheimer’s disease.
Quick Take
- Sullenberger, 75, revealed he was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s in August 2025.
- He described early symptoms like forgetting names, repeating stories, and poor sleep.
- He is receiving monthly infusion treatment meant to slow the disease’s progress.
- He is urging others to get tested early and speak openly about the disease.
The Hero Pilot Shares A Private Battle
Sullenberger became a household name in January 2009. He safely landed a crippled US Airways jet on the Hudson River after birds knocked out both engines. Everyone on board survived. The world called it the “Miracle on the Hudson.” Tom Hanks later played him in the movie “Sully.” Now, 17 years later, the retired captain is opening up about a much quieter fight.
In a personal statement posted on his website, Sullenberger said he “recently found out” he has Alzheimer’s disease. He described it as “early stage” and said he is “in the beginning of this long journey.” The announcement came in July 2026, and he chose to share the news directly with the public rather than let it leak out slowly.
He didn’t hide the details. Sullenberger said he was diagnosed in August 2025, giving the public a clear timeline instead of vague hints. That kind of directness fits the man millions watched calmly guide a plane full of strangers to safety. He’s applying the same steady hand to a diagnosis that terrifies most people his age.
What Early Symptoms Looked Like For Him
Sullenberger described the small, frustrating moments that led him to seek answers. “A name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well,” he wrote. These are common early warning signs of Alzheimer’s, and by naming them plainly, he’s giving other families a way to recognize the same pattern in themselves.
He also credited his doctor, Gil Rabinovici at UCSF Medical Center, with opening his eyes to how common Alzheimer’s really is. That kind of specific, named medical relationship adds real weight to his story. It’s not a vague celebrity health scare. It’s a man naming his doctor, his hospital, and his diagnosis date.
Treatment, Family, And A Call To Action
Sullenberger said he now receives a monthly infusion designed to slow the disease’s progression. He didn’t name the specific drug, but he made clear that treatment is already underway and part of his daily reality. His wife, Lorie, and daughter, Kelly, joined him for a broadcast interview with Robin Roberts, standing beside him as he shared the news publicly for the first time.
He was blunt about why timing matters. “Get tested because the sooner you act, the more options there are, the better the outcome is likely to be,” he said. That’s not just a personal reflection. It’s a direct challenge to anyone brushing off memory slips as normal aging instead of getting checked out.
Sullenberger also said the diagnosis “will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future.” He wants other families dealing with Alzheimer’s in private to feel they can step into the open too. Given his history of staying calm under real pressure, that message carries extra weight. He’s not panicking. He’s planning.
Why Public Figures Speaking Out Matters
History shows that when well-known figures share a diagnosis like this, more people search for information on symptoms, testing, and treatment. Past examples include former President Ronald Reagan, who announced his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis decades ago and helped push the disease into open conversation instead of private shame. Sullenberger’s disclosure fits that same pattern of turning a personal struggle into public awareness.
Medical experts have long noted that people with early-stage dementia have the right to decide whether to share their diagnosis, since the information belongs to them alone. Sullenberger chose openness. For a man once trusted to make split-second, life-or-death decisions in a cockpit, that choice says something about how he intends to face this fight, too, one clear step at a time.
Sullenberger closed his statement with the same steady resolve that defined his career. He’s not framing Alzheimer’s as an ending, but as a new challenge to meet head-on, with treatment, family support, and full honesty about what lies ahead.
Sources:
washingtontimes.com, people.com, sfchronicle.com, foxnews.com
