A nonprofit founded in memory of a man killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks has launched a new artificial intelligence tool meant to help people work through grief and trauma, timed to the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The tool, called Doora, comes from Hold the Door, a nonprofit created in memory of Ronald Fazio Sr., who died after helping coworkers evacuate the South Tower of the World Trade Center. It was built by his son, Rob Fazio, who founded the organization.
“We designed Doora to be a bridge for people in the moment when they’re going through a very difficult time so they can have a moment… where they say, ‘Maybe I can get through this. Maybe I can grow from this experience,'” Fazio told Fox News Digital. “The foundation of Doora is built upon our 24 years of experience and research on post-traumatic growth and growth through loss and adversity.”
Doora operates as a 24/7 chatbot, offering both voice and text support. Fazio described it as a “growth guide” meant to help people when therapy, counselors, friends or family aren’t available or accessible in the moment.
A team of lawyers, psychologists and business leaders built the tool with a specific goal: reaching people who are reluctant to ask for help in the first place.
“Where we used to have people come to us, we realized that going to people and meeting them where they are physically, emotionally and psychologically gets much better results,” Fazio said.
A Promise Made Without a Body to Bury
Fazio has said grieving his father was complicated by the fact that his family never recovered his remains. At the memorial service, they filled a coffin with belongings that reflected his life instead.
“In the absence of a body, sometimes it is hard to grieve,” Fazio said.
It was at that service, in a Catholic church, that Fazio made a vow that would eventually shape his life’s work.
“I’ll never forget, I was in a Catholic church when we were doing the service, and I said, ‘You know, my dad was a quiet man, but his legacy is going to be damn loud,'” he said.
That promise led to the creation of Hold the Door, and now, 25 years later, to Doora, which Fazio said is built to “really walk with users” through their grief.
“We really are supportive and at the same time give people a little nudge toward their future while they’re honoring a loved one they lost or some adversity that they faced,” he said.
Fazio said the goal is to keep grief from becoming someone’s entire identity. “You are who you are, and we can help you develop and create more of who you want to be,” he said.
Beyond the new AI tool, Hold the Door also runs free workshops, grief resources and community programs that Fazio has said draw on the resilience shown in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks.
