Chesley «Sully» Sullenberger, recognized as the hero of the «Hudson Miracle» for landing on the Hudson River in New York, United States, received an Alzheimer's diagnosis this summer. Despite this, he demonstrates resilience, stating that he has already overcome more severe challenges.
In July, the pilot shared on his website that he had discovered the Alzheimer's diagnosis, being in an early stage. He explained that, for now, this may result in difficulties remembering names, forgetting recent conversations, or having sleep problems, but he considers that he is just beginning this long journey.
More recently, in an interview given to the program «Good Morning America», Sully, who is 75 years old, publicly addressed the disease for the first time. He became world-famous in 2009 after the event known as the «Hudson Miracle».
On January 15, 2009, a US Airways plane, which departed from LaGuardia bound for Charlotte, collided with a flock of birds shortly after takeoff. The solution found was to perform an engine-out landing on the Hudson River, which allowed all 155 occupants aboard to be saved.
When asked if this episode gave him strength to face Alzheimer's, Sully emphasized that he had already experienced more complicated situations. He detailed that it was necessary to create and execute a perfect plan, without prior experience, to save all lives in just 208 seconds. He added that he would have considered a tragic failure if anyone had not survived, feeling this deeply throughout his life.
Thus, he compared the current situation to the flight, saying that both require focus on what is a priority and ignoring irrelevant distractions. Sullenberger is receiving monthly treatments to slow the progression of the disease and initially wanted to keep the diagnosis confidential, but chose to speak openly to help other people.
His wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, commented in the interview that «this is a disease, not a character flaw,» and expressed the belief that it is necessary to discuss the topic with more transparency, encouraging others to do the same. The pilot himself reported that the first signs of the condition were forgetting details that he normally wouldn't forget, such as people's names and events. He appealed for people to get tested early if they have doubts, because the sooner they act, the better the options and the outcome will be.
After the incident, Sully was honored by the then-Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, and by the President of the United States, George W. Bush. He was also invited to the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama, who took office at the White House shortly after the forced landing. In 2009, he was classified by Time magazine as the second most influential person, only behind the then-First Lady, Michelle Obama.
The story served as inspiration for the film «Sully, the Hero of the Hudson River», directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks. Despite the positive outcome, the pilot was subject to investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which raised the possibility of having enough time to reach an airport and that Sully could have put the lives of the 155 passengers at risk unnecessarily. Later, the investigation report confirmed that the aircraft collided with a flock of birds and that the landing, although risky, saved all crew and passengers.