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Sen. Lindsey Graham’s memorial services set for later this month

Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the FY2027 budget request on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The late Sen. Lindsey Graham will be honored later this month with separate services in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina, after the Republican died unexpectedly on July 11.

Graham’s office announced Friday that the senator’s life and legacy will be celebrated Tuesday, July 28 in Washington before separate services Wednesday, July 29 in South Carolina: Columbia, the state’s capital, and Pickens County, where Graham grew up and part of the district Graham represented.

While Graham’s office did not announce a location for the service in Washington, congressional sources told ABC News that the event is being held at the Washington National Cathedral. Graham’s office said that additional details regarding the services are forthcoming.

It’s not yet clear whether President Donald Trump will attend or have a role in the services.

Graham, a Trump ally who died serving in his fifth term in the Senate, was born in Central, South Carolina, in 1955. He graduated from Daniel High School in Central in 1973, according to his congressional biography.

Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said Graham died from an “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday after she was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster just days after her brother’s death. Trump supported her appointment, calling it a “fabulous tribute” to Lindsey Graham, who at a young age became Darline Graham’s legal guardian after the deaths of their parents.

On Friday, Trump called on Darline Graham to run in the upcoming special primary election for Senate in South Carolina, which would set her up to potentially fill the seat of her late brother in a more permanent way. 

Darline Graham has not yet announced whether she intends to run for the seat for the full term. A source involved with South Carolina politics told ABC News on Friday that she has been having conversations about running in the special election. 

ABC News has reached out to Darline Graham’s office, but did not immediately hear back.

Darline Graham, who lives in Lexington, South Carolina, has served since 2019 as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She also serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.

She also previously held roles with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the governor’s office said.

A special-election primary is scheduled for Aug. 11 to determine a Republican candidate for the Nov. 3 general election ballot — though a runoff could occur two weeks later if no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Boy’s preschool eye exam uncovers life-saving cancer diagnosis

Click here for updates on this story    BARDSTOWN, Kentucky (WLKY) -- A 4-year-old boy from Bardstown, Kentucky, is back in school after a routine preschool eye exam uncovered a rare and life-threatening eye cancer.Hayden Rouse was 3 years old when his mother, Terra, took him to have a routine checkup for his hemangioma. Terra said at that appointment the doctor noticed a mass.“It was a very large tumor, unfortunately. But it sat in a good spot that he was able to get arterial chemo,” Rouse said.Hayden had retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer that, if caught early enough, can be cured.Hayden and his family spent months traveling to Wisconsin for treatment. While the chemotherapy successfully eliminated the tumor, it caused significant side effects, including shrinking his eye and blurring his vision.“On July 29, we took him in. You know, he wore his Spider-Man costume to the O.R., and he had his eye removed," Rouse said. "And now, we're done."After completing his treatment, Hayden celebrated by ringing the bell, a milestone for cancer patients."He's not missed a beat. He has confirmed to us that he was not using that eye, because there's been no adaptation for him. Within two days of being home, he was off. He was on running, playing, jumping all the things," said Rouse. “We’ve gotten Hayden back. And that has been the biggest thing for me."Now, Hayden is back to school and enjoying life as a typical 4-year-old.His mom said he will get his prosthetic eye, complete with an engraving of his favorite superhero, Spider-Man, in a few weeks.Dr. Heather Felton with Norton Children’s echoed Rouse’s message about the importance of routine checkups.“The whole reason we’re doing it is to check for things like abnormalities in the eye or in the ear. Sometimes I pick up things like a new heart murmur or a mass in the abdomen. There could be all kinds of different things,” Felton said.“Hayden’s life was saved by a required preschool eye exam, fortunately. Or else we might have not known for months,” Rouse said.To help the Rouse family with medical expenses, proceeds from the "Buck Haven" Car Show on Oct. 17 in New Haven, Kentucky, will go to the family. All cars are welcome to enter.Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
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