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Hi. My name is Scott McDaniel. I was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) in July of 2025 after becoming ill in November of 2023. As of December 2025, my doctors are now leaning toward additional central nervous system, immune system and neurological diseases along with discovery in my MRIs of at least 2 strokes during my illness.
Current status (January 6 2026):
- Disability is still with the examiners. January 1 was the beginning of month 5 of my 2nd appeal. If it is denied again I will have to get a lawyer to appeal again, meaning another 6 months at least. I will not be able to make it that long.
- My health insurance ended on December 31st 2025. IF disability is approved and I again have income, I can apple through the ACA Marketplace, where my premium will likely be around $500-800 monthly because we live in a shithole country.
- If I am approved for disability, I can apply for Medicaid and if it is approved it will take effect in 2 calendar years. Make that make sense, will you please?
- I will either be selling my car or adding it to my estate, depending on how screwed up things get over the next few months and if the car lasts.
- My biggest fear right now is that the advanced hypertension and other medical issues are going to cause another stroke and I will not be able to communicate or move. The idea of being trapped in my own mind terrifies me beyond comprehension.
Thanks for the help as I await a decision on my fate.
Scott
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You may know me from my IT/Web/Consulting work at The Learning Company, Chilliware, Promethean, the Southern Poverty Law Center or from working on projects with companies like Coca-Cola, American Airlines or others.
You may know me from Twitter. You may know me as in independent software developer in the late 90's and early 2000's. You may know me from various blogs and sites I operated, such as BabyGotMac.com, or perhaps from my work and advocacy within the Linux, WordPress, Drupal and MacOS communities.
You may just know me from hanging out on the dark underbelly of the internet for 30 years.
If you do know me, you are aware that I have always been a problem solver, a (sometimes infuriating) vocal champion for the underdog and a bit of a troublemaker.
You also know I am vulnerable to a fault, and pride myself on coming from trailer parks and housing projects to having everything anyone could wish for (for a while). If you know me in real life, you are also aware I suffer from depression, anxiety and childhood ptsd.
If you can do nothing else for me, please, believe survivors and support mental health and medical insurance reforms.
Organizer
