Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold was diagnosed with melanoma, a sometimes-lethal form of skin cancer, five years ago.

“It scared the hell out of me,” Leopold said of the day he was diagnosed. But early detection helped saved his life, so today he’ll appear at the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days benefit in Glen Burnie to encourage county residents and others to be as lucky as he was.

Anne Arundel has “one of the highest rates of cancer in the nation,” Leopold said, so he considers “early detection vitally important” to the health of the county’s residents.

Dawn Ward, an American Cancer Society spokeswoman, said Daffodil Days is also an essential aspect of the organization’s outreach to cancer patients and their families. “Daffodil Days is a program every spring where the ACS is able to offer daffodils to the public for a donation,” Ward said. The program brings “hope to cancer patients and their families across the Baltimore area.”

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Organizers also hope the program will raise $400,000 this year by collecting $10 and $20 donations from people who wish to receive bunches of spring’s first flower in March. The money helps fund outreach programs like Hope Lodge near Lexington Market, which houses cancer patients receiving outpatient treatment.

“Through donations made for Daffodil Days, the American Cancer Society will help more than 4,300 cancer patients and their families in Maryland,” said Gloria Jetter, regional executive director for the American Cancer Society, in a statement.

Leopold will appear tomorrow at Anne Arundel’s Daffodil Days kickoff from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center Tate Cancer Center in Glen Burnie. Daffodil Days donations can be made through the American Cancer Society by calling 410-721-4304.

klitten@baltimoreexaminer.com