Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Margaret Abrams

Sting fulfilled a dying policeman's last wish after learning about it on Instagram

While sometimes lately it might seem like all news is bad news, a heartwarming story emerged on social media that will make you shed happy tears.

Humans of New York is a popular social media page that previously offered interviews with people all around New York City, sharing their stories as well as a snapshot of their lives.

Now, it's been forced to go digital, but the stories are equally moving online.

The page recently shared a particularly sweet story about a New York policeman who loved art.

View this post on Instagram

“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

The post was from his stepdaughter, Elizabeth Santiago, who said, "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."

But even after joining the police force "he never lost touch with his creative side" and he even built his stepdaughter her first bike.

He had an art studio in their home and he painted 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."

After working as a police officer for 20 years, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998.

"First there was a little weakness. Then there was a cane. Then there was a wheelchair," his stepdaughter said. "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," she was going through his belongings and stumbled upon the Sting painting.

"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."

But now, what might have seemed like a silly idea at the time is coming to fruition, thanks to a serendipitous twist.

Sting's daughter, actress Mickey Sumner, saw the post and now, the former Police frontman has been reunited with the police officer's precious piece of art and it was documented with a photograph.

Sumner also teamed up with Elizabeth Santiago to organize a fundraiser on behalf of National MS Society.

The women wrote that the online fundraiser, which hopes to raise $100,000, is "In honor of Domingo Santiago, MS Warriors everywhere & the great Dads & Step-Dads of the world."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.