Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger became an American hero on January 15, 2009. The "Miracle on the Hudson" pilot saved 155 passengers and crew aboard Flight 1549 when a bird strike disabled both engines after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport. He and first officer Jeff Skiles landed the plane on the Hudson River.
Throughout his life, Sullenberger has challenged himself to serve others. Now, in what he's calling his "last flight" as he deals with the symptoms of Alzheimer's, he's once again thinking about how to put what he's going through to good use.
Appearing on Good Morning America with his wife, Lorrie, the couple talked about the range of emotions they'd already experienced, as well as how they were attempting to make the most of the situation.
At first, the couple had considered staying quiet about the diagnosis, but one day, it occurred to Lorrie that it wasn't something to be ashamed of, and talking about it might help raise awareness for others.
Sullenberger reflected:
"We felt all those emotions: shock, the anger, ‘Why me?’"
"We are not by any means alone."
"We are part of this community who are trying to make the best of a bad situation.”
As for Sullenberger's diagnosis, he'd started noticing that it was harder to remember people's names, would repeat something he'd already said without remembering he'd said it, and having to depend in general on his planner much more to recall dates and times.
His wife similarly noticed little things that simply weren't normal for her husband:
"A lot of what I think people see in the news are late-stage Alzheimer’s symptoms."
"They were so little that it was easy to dismiss in the beginning.”
"It’s what’s unusual for your person.”
The Sullenberger family has always been a loving and adventurous family, focused on each other and their two adult daughters, and now grandchildren, but before, they'd always had a plan.
Though he can't plan this out like he's always done in the past, Sullenberger is determined to make the most of this.
"This is my last flight."
"But if this has to be my last flight, I’m going to go out using full afterburner.”
You can watch the segment here:
Viewers were touched and applauded Sullenberger's bravery and selflessness.
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It's no surprise to anyone that Capt. Sully is using a moment like this to serve others.
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