Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger announces Alzheimer’s diagnosis, calls for shared courage

The pilot who safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on New York’s Hudson River in 2009 said he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

• Sullenberger, 75, announced on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
• He said he is in the early stages and hopes other families living with the disease will feel able to step forward.
• Approximately 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older have clinical Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
• Sullenberger said courage is now needed to battle the disease, as it was during the emergency landing of Flight 1549.