Captain Sully Sullenberger has opened up about his Alzheimer's disease diagnosis—and how it's affected him emotionally. In case you aren't aware of who he is, he daringly landed a commercial plane into the Hudson River in 2009; he is portrayed in the film Miracle On The Hudson.
We reported on it when the hero pilot originally announced his shock diagnosis. He posted a statement on his website at the time confirming it.
He wrote, "I recently found out I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It is in an early stage. 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."
And now, he's opened up about just how much such a diagnosis has affected him. Per People, he opened up in an upcoming interview with Good Morning America.
"We felt all those emotions—the shock, the anger. Why me?" he recalled. Captain Sully and his wife, Lorrie, had received the devastating diagnosis back in August of last year.
He was asked about the challenges he faces and how he is going to deal with them. And he had an appropriate answer: "It's as simple as not being afraid. Just not giving up." He added, "If this has to be my last flight, I'm going to go out using full afterburner."
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The Hero Pilot Wants to Speak Up and Speak Out About Alzheimer's
If nothing else, Captain Sully wants to use his diagnosis as a way to raise awareness.
"This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service," he explained to People. "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."
"And [this is] about hope—so many people told us after Flight 1549 that the outcome gave them hope. Lorrie, my incredible partner of 37 years, says we can all use a little of that hope right now."
