The word "courageous" has been fixed to Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's name ever since Jan. 15, 2009. That's when the US Airways captain steered Flight 1549 to a safe water landing on the frigid Hudson River, with both engines shut down from a bird strike — shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport.
All 155 people on board survived to tell the story for the rest of their lives.
It was called the "Miracle on the Hudson." But of course, it was the skilled and poised work of Captain Sully, as he became known; his co-pilot, Jeffrey Skiles; and the flight attendants, Sheila Dail, Donna Dent and Doreen Welsh, who guided passengers onto the wings of the aircraft, for rescue by dauntless emergency crews.
"Courage is contagious," Captain Sullenberger often said in the welter of interviews that followed through the years.
It must have taken courage this week, too, for Sullenberger, who has been so revered for his coolness and command, to reveal that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He is 75 years old.
"It is early stage," he said in a statement. "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 he called Alzheimer's "the unwanted visitor at the door."
The Alzheimer's Association says in the U.S., more than 7 million people who are 65 or older live with Alzheimer's. In younger Americans, researchers estimate around 200,000 people have the disease.
"So this new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service," said Sullenberger. "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."
The Miracle on the Hudson occurred in sight of the Manhattan skyline and was witnessed by millions. The courage Sullenberger wants to summon now is personal and intimate and unfolds in millions of families every day.
"Though it may impact my memory of the past," Sullenberger wrote this week, "this diagnosis will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future."
Chesley Sullenberger is still the captain speaking.
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