Sully has Alzheimer’s

Lowflynjack

Lowflynjack

Final Approach
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Jack Fleetwood
Sad news. CBS Story: Sully Sullenberger

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the renowned pilot who famously landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, publicly revealed an early-stage Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Sullenberger shared the news to raise awareness and support for the millions of Americans battling the progressive brain disorder.

Key Details of His Diagnosis:
  • Diagnosis Status: He is in the early stages, noting mild symptoms such as occasional difficulty recalling names, forgetting recent stories, and sleep disturbances.
  • Public Outreach: Sullenberger released a public statement expressing that "courage can be contagious," hoping to remove the stigma and encourage other families navigating the disease to step out of the shadows.
  • Support System: He is working closely with his medical team and is surrounded by his family, including his wife of 37 years, Lorrie.
 
I give him credit for not trying to save the aircraft but rather pick a spot and give people a chance of survival.
 
Clip4 said:
Why is this information important to anyone? We all get old and if we are around long enough this is going to happen.
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Maybe because he's recognized as a legitimate aviation celebrity, and someone that many of us respect, and if he starts saying whacky things, people like myself who have had family members affected by this affliction, will have more compassion?
 
He's well beyond retirement age for Part 121. The guy has logged 20K+ flight hours in his life long career, 1,200 of which was done in fighter jets. We are all just one medical away from becoming ultralight pilots.
 
I live in a community full of Alzheimer's, It is nice to know which are sick, and which are just being weird.:eek:

I just might announce here if I cross that line.o_O...Or maybe not.
Announcing is the bold thing to do, asserts true masculinity!
 
Clip4 said:
Why is this information important to anyone? We all get old and if we are around long enough this is going to happen.
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Well, we'll see it in our friends, but many of us will end up with sharp minds and failing bodies (as both of my parents did, at the end.)
 
Given the pilots' sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, and lackluster sleep, I would not be surprised if they have a much higher risk of AD than the general population (when matched for smoking and alcohol use).
 
Lowflynjack said:
Why is it important for you to tell us it's not important to you? :D
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I didn’t tell you why it was unimportant to me, I asked why this was important to you.

The guy is 75. Are you supporting the current mandatory retirement age, just like to commiserate about people’s health degrading or celebrating something?

The guy was a hero in his time. Remember him for that and forget discussing how his health is failing him today. It’s not relevant to his legacy.
 
Clip4 said:
I didn’t tell you why it was unimportant to me, I asked why this was important to you.

The guy is 75. Are you supporting the current mandatory retirement age, just like to commiserate about people’s health degrading or celebrating something?

The guy was a hero in his time. Remember him for that and forget discussing how his health is failing him today. It’s not relevant to his legacy.
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He went public with it. He thinks it’s relevant.
 
Clip4 said:
The guy was a hero in his time. Remember him for that and forget discussing how his health is failing him today. It’s not relevant to his legacy.
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Sully himself might disagree: "Sullenberger shared the news to raise awareness and support for the millions of Americans battling the progressive brain disorder." Maybe he'd be happy if his legacy included helping raise awareness (read: money) for Alzheimer's research.
 
Clip4 said:
I didn’t tell you why it was unimportant to me, I asked why this was important to you.

The guy is 75. Are you supporting the current mandatory retirement age, just like to commiserate about people’s health degrading or celebrating something?

The guy was a hero in his time. Remember him for that and forget discussing how his health is failing him today. It’s not relevant to his legacy.
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It is possible that some people are interested in discussing things that you aren't.
This is why the mouse scroll wheel exists.

I don't particularly care about this discussion topic but I am happy to let others discuss it without chiming and ****ting on them for discussing something which they are interested in discussing.

Chiming in on a discussion that you aren't interested in just to try and make the people discussing it defend their desire to discuss it is really stupid dude.
What a waste of your time.
 
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SixPapaCharlie said:
It is possible that some people are interested in discussing things that you aren't.
This is why the mouse scroll wheel exists.

I don't particularly care about this discussion topic but I am happy to let others discuss it without chiming and ****ting on them for discussing something which they are interested in discussing.

Chiming in on a discussion that you aren't interested in just to try and make the people discussing it defend their desire to discuss it. is really stupid dude.
What a waste of your time.
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Internet 101.
Thank you
 
Full release:

Captain C.B. Sully Sullenberger​

July 14 at 11:02 AM

Lorrie and I often said we won the baby lottery with our two daughters. And we have learned what people say is actually true: that grandchildren are a game changer. Our granddaughter gives a whole new meaning to life.

With that said, I recently found out I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. It is 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.

My doctor, Dr. Gil Rabinovici with UCSF Medical Center, has opened my eyes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s. This disease, he has told me, spares no age group and impacts millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door.

Like millions of families that are impacted by this disease, we debated next steps. I have spent my life in service, in the U.S. Air Force, as a commercial airline pilot, an accident investigator, as the U.S. Ambassador to ICAO. I have advocated for the safety of the traveling public for decades. And of course after the landing of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, I used the greater voice afforded to me by The Miracle on the Hudson to further aviation safety by speaking out on the many issues facing the industry. I was proud to work with many colleagues, fighting for increased pilot training, more pilot rest, in favor of the two-pilot rule, on increased technology issues, and more.

So this new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. 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 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.

Though it may impact my memory of the past, this diagnosis will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future. I will navigate this chapter with my wonderful family by my side.

Over the years, when people would ask about the successful outcome of Flight 1549, I would say that “courage can be contagious,” and on that day it helped everyone band together to get everyone off that airplane successfully. Now we need that courage to battle this disease. I am now part of a larger community with many of you, and we will be courageous together.

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The first two symptoms he listed describe me for the past 10 years or more. I sleep like the dead, though.
 
DaleB said:
The first two symptoms he listed describe me for the past 10 years or more.
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During medical school and residency, there would be "lunch and learn" lectures which described various psychiatric issues, particularly anxiety and depression variants. It was common for almost all of the students and residents to check almost every diagnostic box. "Medical Student Syndrome" is fun though, as the students invariably diagnose themselves with whatever is being discussed. A lecture on rashes or mites is sufficient to set an entire auditorium scratching imaginary itches.

The best ones were the "self-care" lunch-and-learn lectures, where we were told to take time for ourselves and do whatever is necessary to avoid burn-out. The irony of saying this while not even letting people eat lunch in peace without trying to optimize their time was lost on the senior staff, evidently.

On topic, Sully is an aviation figure of particular renown in the gen pop and with Congress critters. His public advocacy for continued research funding cannot hurt and may help, so I wish him every success.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
It is possible that some people are interested in discussing things that you aren't.
This is why the mouse scroll wheel exists.

I don't particularly care about this discussion topic but I am happy to let others discuss it without chiming and ****ting on them for discussing something which they are interested in discussing.

Chiming in on a discussion that you aren't interested in just to try and make the people discussing it defend their desire to discuss it is really stupid dude.
What a waste of your time.
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Reminding someone that relishes being an ******* they are in fact an ******* is a waste of your time.

Lol
 
DaleB said:
The first two symptoms he listed describe me for the past 10 years or more. I sleep like the dead, though.
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Forgetting names, trouble sleeping, etc.? I've had that for 60 + years.

To be serious for a minute, it is a terrible disease that we need to be aware of. Had a parent and aunt die of it, have a college friend whose significant other now has it. Just started retirement, and their plans have change drastically. The body lives, the person goes away and is replaced by someone else who needs watched 24/7.

Even if it's not AD, we at least have to self aware enough that in our 60's, 70's, etc., we're just not clicking like we did when we were 20. We all can still do great things in the older years, but best not to pretend and act as if there isn't some mileage on the odometer.
 
Some people make the world a little better. Some people make the world a little worse. I'm not sure where I fit into that, all the time. This guy seems to aim for better, and his track record seems better than mine. It's also a reminder that we never quite know what's next.

Hope he goes through this as well as is possible.
 
A few years back, I was at the Smithsonian dinner at Oshkosh and Sully, me, and John King were having a discussion on Airbus safety. The photographer from Air and Space snapped our picture, but I was never able to get a copy of that picture.
 
Albany Tom said:
Some people make the world a little better.
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Everyone makes the world a little better. Some by their presence and others by their absence.
 
Albany Tom said:
Some people make the world a little better. Some people make the world a little worse. I'm not sure where I fit into that, all the time. This guy seems to aim for better, and his track record seems better than mine. It's also a reminder that we never quite know what's next.

Hope he goes through this as well as is possible.
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One of my favorite quotes:

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Half Fast said:
Careful. I got banned for less.
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Half Fast said:
Careful. I got banned for less.
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Yeah. It would be worth it. Decided that before I pushed the button. Sometimes in life it’s worthwhile to be honest regardless of the consequences. It’s how polite society is designed to work.

Edit:

I didn’t want it to be debated that the offender was clearly identified. 6PC was on target.
 
Lowflynjack said:
Diagnosis Status: He is in the early stages, noting mild symptoms such as occasional difficulty recalling names, forgetting recent stories, and sleep disturbances.
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Difficulty in recalling names is a symptom of altzhiemers? Man that covers A LOT of people.
 
pfarber said:
Difficulty in recalling names is a symptom of altzhiemers? Man that covers A LOT of people.
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Indeed. Those are probably just what he noticed. There are some pretty high quality diagnostic tools out there....spinal fluid analysis and protein specific PET scans. If those were the basis of his diagnosis, he's lucky to have been one of the early ones. 'Lucky' being subjective.
 
pfarber said:
Difficulty in recalling names is a symptom of altzhiemers? Man that covers A LOT of people.
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Just stop. If he's been diagnosed it's not like he just forgot someones name from five years ago. Grow up.

Also, if you are forgetting names from last week, get help.
 
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