Anyone who knows Tori and Brent knows two things: they adore each other, and they are already the most loving dog parents to Gaston & Arya.

Now they’re taking the next step toward the family they’ve dreamed about for so long through IVF. While this journey hasn’t been easy, they’ve continued to move forward with incredible strength, hope, and love.

As their friend, I wanted to help remind them that they do not have to carry this alone. It truly takes a village, and I hope we can help surround them with support, encouragement, and a little extra hope during this chapter.

Whether you’re able to donate, share, or simply cheer them on, thanks for being part of their village and helping bring future baby Castleman one step closer.

Big or small, your contribution is greatly appreciated!

Amber Bakker

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• Help Us Bring Baby Castleman Home •

Hi everyone — we’re Tori and Brent Castleman.

Right now, we’re proud parents to two spoiled fur babies, Gaston and Arya, but our biggest dream has always been to grow our family and welcome a baby of our own.

Our journey to parenthood has been filled with hope, heartbreak, resilience, and more obstacles than we ever imagined.

In 2022, we learned that we would likely struggle to conceive naturally after Tori was diagnosed with PCOS. Shortly after, we also discovered we were facing male factor infertility. While we were heartbroken, we were determined to do everything we could to improve our chances. We spent years making lifestyle changes, attending countless appointments, undergoing testing, and investing thousands of dollars out-of-pocket into our fertility journey.

In February 2024, we got married — the happiest day of our lives — and felt more ready than ever to focus on building our family.

Later that year, after beginning medicated fertility cycles, we finally saw something we had prayed so hard for: a positive pregnancy test. We were overwhelmed with joy and hope after years of negative tests and uncertainty.

Sadly, we lost our baby at 8 weeks on Thanksgiving.

The months that followed were some of the hardest we’ve ever faced. After taking time to heal emotionally and physically, we continued trying through additional medicated cycles, but unfortunately never saw another positive test.

In 2025, our fertility specialists told us IVF was likely our best chance of becoming parents.

We were incredibly grateful to learn Brent’s employer offered some fertility coverage, and we carefully planned ahead financially while waiting for enrollment. Unfortunately, due to insurance changes in 2026, the coverage we had planned around was no longer available, increasing our expected IVF costs by more than 60%.

Even with insurance, we are now facing over $15,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for IVF treatment alone.

As difficult as it is to ask for help, we’ve realized we don’t have to walk this road alone. Every donation, share, prayer, and word of encouragement helps bring us one step closer to the family we’ve dreamed about for so long.

If you’re able to support us in any way, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of our journey and helping us fight for future baby Castleman.

With love and gratitude,

Tori & Brent