Four decades ago, Hannah Smith's life was forever changed when her mother lost custody of her and she entered the foster care system.

At 12 years old, she was initially placed in a group home before a foster parent was found who was willing to take a troubled, older "wild child" (as Smith described herself).

That foster parent was Essie Gilchrist, or as Hannah calls her, Mama Essie.

Last month, Smith posted this tribute to her long-lost foster mom on X:

The response to her post was overwhelming. Within 24 hours, someone had located Mama Essie for Smith.

A reporter from TODAY called Essie Gilchrist to tell her that Hannah Smith was trying to find her, to which she replied,

I never stopped thinking about her. She's been searching for me?

When told that the troubled 12-year-old she had taken in four decades ago was now married and a licensed trauma therapist, Gilchrist simply replied,

God is good.

Mama Essie fostered 20 children over her 30 years as a foster parent, many of whom she's still in contact with.

Gilchrist told TODAY,

I've heard from so many of the kids over the years. What I tried to do is give them confidence and teach them (coping) skills. I'd tell them, ‘You're smart. And you're going to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You can have a good life.

While Gilchrist was only briefly in Hannah's life, and her influence may have felt like a failure after Hannah ran away and abruptly ended their relationship, Mama Essie still made a lifelong impact on her.

As Smith said of her foster mom,

She showed me that there was kindness in the world. I wouldn't be where I am today without her.

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