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ROGER Fuller has lost count of the number of people who have told him time heals pain.
They tell him that as the days, months and years go by his broken heart will be mended.
But he knows nothing will ever stop the heartache he has felt everyday since his son Bailey passed away.
He has learnt to push it to the side, to mask it with the routine of daily life.
Bailey had Dravet Syndrome - a severe form of epilepsy, but that didn't stop him living his life to the fullest.
"He was a bright, bubbly and happy child, who was always happy to meet other people," Mr Fuller said.
"We never thought he would be able to ride a bike but he proved us wrong. He started with a three wheeler and then progressed onto a two wheeler. He loved wrestling with his brother. He was an active boy.
"If you walked down the street with Bailey people wouldn't know there was anything different about him. He had an intellectual disability with limited speech but his attitude to life was to grab it with open arms."
One hot January afternoon in 2012 Bailey was riding his bike around the yard of his family home when he went missing. The incident sparked a major police search, with SES crews, family and friends, and people who did not even know the Fuller family helping to look for Bailey.
The next day at 1am Bailey was found in a farm dam about two kilometres from his home.
Mr Fuller said his son never let his illness beat him and his death was a tragedy.
"It was really tough on us. You have to learn to move on, to deal with it. My other son Zac has had to learn to deal with his emotions ," he said.
Mr Fuller and 26 others will take part in a special ride in memory of Bailey next weekend. The cycle will raise money for Bendigo Health.