My grandfather, Lon Chaney, Jr. was born Creighton Tull Chaney on February 10, 1906 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was the son of silent screen star Lon Chaney and Francis Cleveland Creighton (Cleva).
Creighton came into the world prematurely at 7 months on a cold winter day. Young Cleva had a very difficult labor and the baby was born lifeless. After repeated attempts by the doctor to resuscitate the infant, Lon grabbed his son, ran outside and submerged him into the icy waters of Belle Isle Lake reviving the dying infant. Cleva's mother Matilda Creighton (Mattie) a practical nurse in Oklahoma City, assisted the doctor through the birth and helped nurse the infant back to health. Out of necessity, his father created an incubator from a shoe-box lined with cotton and holes punched in it for air and warmth.
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