'Miracle on the Hudson' hero Sully Sullenberger reveals Alzheimer's warning signs he missed years ago

Reflecting on the timeline leading up to her husband's formal assessment, Lorrie Sullenberger noted that small adjustments in everyday life slowly pointed toward a bigger shift.

"A lot of what I think people see in the news are late-stage Alzheimer's symptoms. And, so, in the very beginning, they are so subtle. And my advice to someone would be, it's what's unusual for your person," she shared, emphasizing how early symptoms often manifest gradually rather than abruptly.

"One of the first things I noticed was that it was harder and harder to remember people's names, even people we knew," Sullenberger said. "That's still an issue. Just forgetting things that I normally wouldn't. Or repeating myself, not realizing that I just said that an hour ago."

Because these early shifts often mimic normal signs of aging, loved ones are usually the first to notice small anomalies in behavior.

"I've gone through harder things than this before," Sullenberger said in the interview.

The former pilot may be best known for successfully performing the "Miracle on the Hudson" in January 2009. 

After US Airways Flight 1549 suffered a dual engine failure after a bird strike shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, Sullenberger drew on decades of flight experience to glide the Airbus A320 onto the frigid Hudson River, where all 155 passengers and crew survived, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The emergency landing made Sullenberger an internationally recognized public figure and became known as the "Miracle on the Hudson."

Lorrie Sullenberger noted that family members should trust their instincts when something feels off, advising that the key lies in identifying "what's unusual for your person."

"An early diagnosis is so critically important," Sullenberger said. "If you have doubts, get tested. Because the sooner you act, the more options there are, the better the outcome is likely to be."