Sting's Daughter Mickey Sumner Helps Woman Fulfill Her Late Stepfather's Dying Wish

Darlene Aderoju
·6 min read

Sting's daughter Mickey Sumner is helping turn one talented, New York police officer's final wish into reality.

On Tuesday, popular blog Humans of New York shared the heartwarming story of one interviewee who revealed that her beloved, late stepdad — who worked as an officer in the city for two decades before he died of multiple sclerosis — told her to handle one of his biggest dreams at the time of his death.

"During his final days, we were going through his possessions, one by one. He was telling me who to give them to. I pulled the Sting painting out of an old box, and asked, 'What should I do with this?' " she recalled to the outlet. "His response was immediate ... He looked right at me, and said, 'Give it to Sting.' So I guess that's my final assignment."

Her stepfather, who previously "worked at an auto shop, airbrushing designs onto the side of vans" because "he dreamed of being an artist" began his career in law enforcement when he "needed something more stable."

The woman says that she met her stepdad when she was 5 years old — around the same time he started "making my mother smile." He became a police officer to provide stability for his new family after the couple decided to get married.

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“I was five when he became a person in my world. I didn’t know exactly who he was. I just knew that there was someone around that was making my mother smile. I had to look way up to see him. I’d never met someone so strong. He’d tell me to hold onto his wrist, and he’d lift me into the sky with one hand. He worked at an auto shop, airbrushing designs onto the side of vans. I think he dreamed of being an artist. But he needed something more stable. So after he decided to marry my mom, he became a cop. He never lost touch with his creative side. He was always building things around the house—making things look fancier than we could afford. He built my first bike from scraps. He encouraged me to read. He encouraged me to write. He loved giving me little assignments. He’d give me a quarter every time I wrote a story. Fifty cents if it was a good one. Whenever I asked a question, he’d make me look it up in the encyclopedia. One day he built a little art studio at the back of our house. And he painted a single painting—a portrait of Sting that he copied from an album cover. But he got busy with work and never used the studio again. He was always saying: ‘when I retire.’ ‘I’ll go back to art, when I retire.’ ‘I’ll show in a gallery, when I retire.’ But that time never came. Dad was a cop for twenty years. He was one of the good ones. The kind of cop you see dancing on the street corner. Or skateboarding with kids. But in 1998 he was diagnosed with MS. First there was a little weakness. Then there was a cane. Then there was a wheelchair. It got to the point where he couldn’t even hold a paintbrush. We did his hospice at home. He seemed to have no regrets. He’d been a wonderful provider. He’d raised his daughters. He’d walked me down the aisle. During his final days, we were going through his possessions, one by one. He was telling me who to give them to. I pulled the Sting painting out of an old box, and asked: ‘What should I do with this?’ His response was immediate. ‘Give it to Sting,’ he said. All of us started laughing. But Dad grew very serious. His eyes narrowed. He looked right at me, and said: ‘Give it to Sting.’ So I guess that’s my final assignment.”

A post shared by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on May 19, 2020 at 11:57am PDT

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Still, she says "he never lost touch with his creative side. He was always building things around the house — making things look fancier than we could afford. He built my first bike from scraps."

"One day, he built a little art studio at the back of our house," she told the blog. "He painted a single painting — a portrait of Sting that he copied from an album cover."

"But he got busy with work and never used the studio again," she explained. "He was always saying: 'When I retire, I'll go back to art. When I retire, I'll show in a gallery. When I retire.' But that time never came. Dad was a cop for 2o years. He was one of the good ones. The kind of cop you see dancing on the street corner or skateboarding with kids. But in 1998, he was diagnosed with MS."

The woman says his symptoms from the disease — which affects the brain and spinal cord and gradually causes the immune system to attack the body — started with "a little weakness" but eventually caused her stepdad to need a wheelchair. After some time, "he couldn't even hold a paintbrush."

Still, he was surrounded by the unconditional love of his family until his last breath. "We did his hospice at home. He seemed to have no regrets," she told the outlet. "He'd been a wonderful provider. He'd raised his daughters. He'd walked me down the aisle."

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After Humans of New York shared her story, Sting's daughter Sumner, 36, responded writing, "Update: We connected ! 😭 And working out logistics ♥️ love love love ❤️." Within less than 24 hours of her note, thousands of supporters liked her comment and hundreds wrote back.

Sumner then added, "Just texted her! Will keep you posted 💖."

One person commented, "[Your story] is more powerful than you think. Sting will receive it but we got it first through your eyes and love for your dad. The world got a glimpse of who he was. He rendered serviced to his community but he also gave his ❤ unselfishly to his FAMILY."