Tennessee (WZTV) — A remarkable new therapy for autism is yielding results that feel like a miracle.

Two Tennessee families have actually witnessed their children doing things they have never done before, like actually speaking for the first time.

Stem cell therapy is best known for fixing knees and backs and shoulders. But what might be most impressive of all is what the Kellum Stem Cell Institute in Franklin, Tennessee is doing for autistic kids.

You want to know what 8-year-old Chase Cruise was like before stem cell therapy. Just look at his mom’s arms which shows bite marks so bad they left big permanent scars on her body and on her heart.

“That’s why I have tattoos on me to cover up the scars,” said Chase’s mom Angela Cruise.

Fast forward to 100 million stem cells later,Chase is a different boy. You don’t have to be a doctor to see the difference. If you compare before and after photos, the look on his face has changed.

“He wouldn’t give you eye contact, now he gives you eye contact. He wouldn’t like to love on you. And now his grandpa says bring it in and he’ll open his arms. And here he comes in and guess what, grandpa gets the biggest hug and squeeze that you’d ever thought,” said Cruise.

As if all this isn’t enough. Chase is starting to talk. What price do you put on a little boy saying momma to you for the first time?

“It’s momma momma mommadad dad dad.” says Cruise.

“Sounds like you have a different son?” questions Dennis Ferrier.

“Oh, if you met him before, he is totally different. You wouldn’t believe it’s the same child,” said Cruise.

“It kind of just brings tears to my eyes…it’s amazing,” said Cruise.

Dr. Ethan Kellum explains the miracle of stem cell therapy.

“Stem cells can affect people that have autism in the way of helping with their language, social skills in decreasing the behaviors that you don’t want to see. Right? And it does that by way of the immune system. So it’s going to decrease the inflammation and help with the neural connectivity. And so when things are connected and firing the way they should, people do better,” said Dr. Kellum.

Jamison Hays, 5 years old, is another autism patient at the Kellum Stem Cell Institute. He was completely non-verbal before stem cells.

“The wipers were going and he just started singing wipers on the bus..and I was absolutely amazed by that,” said mom Emily Hays.

He puts on his own shoes. He even is starting to say his own name.

“Jamison, Jamison, Jamison,” said Jamison.

But maybe the most precious thing of all to his mom, Emily says is that he now plays with his brother and sister. So simple, so unbelievably important.

“It’s just huge. It’s monumental sometimes, like I said, it’s just indescribable because there’s just nothing but pure joy and excitement about it,” said Hays.

Chase Cruise used to wear a helmet and scream. Now he watches movies in his grandpa’s lap. The very definition of pure joy and excitement. How could a family ever stop being delighted when their little boy talks to them?

This is just a sample. The Kellum Stem Cell Institute has more than dozen autism patients with 90 % reporting significant improvement: A promising new treatment for autism.

You can reach them at (615) 850-4415.