A gathering was held in Fredericton on Sunday to remember a man who lost a lifelong battle with mental illness about a year and a half ago.     

Family and friends of Steven Robbins say he was a one-of-a-kind human being.

“When he was good, he was amazing – do anything for anybody,” said Robbins’ sister, Christine Gore.

But for all the good days her brother had, many others were very dark. Robbins suffered from depression for most of his life.

“It was just a cycle,” said Gore. “It was around and around and around.”

In the spring of 2015, Robbins vanished after leaving the Fredericton hospital where he had been a patient.

He was reported missing, and his body was found about three weeks later on the banks of the St. John River.

“Since all this there's a piece of our family that is gone and we'll never get back,” Gore said. "There are times when something is happening in my life and I’ll want to go to the phone and say guess what? But he's not there anymore.”

His family has been trying to find ways to remember Robbins for how he lived, while bringing attention to why he's no longer here.

“We need to talk more,” said Gore. “We need to say the words mental health and realize there's nothing wrong with that, there's nothing wrong with us. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean we don't hurt.”

Family members created the Steve Robbins Memorial Walk with hopes of allowing people to talk openly about mental illness.

“We just want to make sure no family has to go through what we went through because help is out there for anybody who needs it,” said Tammy Gramer, Robbin’s niece.

Organizer Anita Keating wants people to be aware of those services.

“I was to that point myself and luckily I did find the help, but there are so many out there that don't get the help,” she said. “We need to break the stigma over mental illness. It's not contagious. It’s real and it just doesn't go away.”

Christin Gore wants her brother to be remembered as a man with a heart of gold.

“I know he's up there today looking down saying, 'You wanted sun, little sister, well I got you the sun.’”

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.