Two kids from Bismarck left in opposite directions Tueday morning.

The two children suffer from different ailments. What they have in common is they were granted their wishes at the same time through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Paige Vearrier, a 5-year-old battling a number of health problems, is in Orlando, Fla. Her dream was to swim with dolphins.

On the West Coast, 7-year-old Ethan Earl is in San Diego. Ethan suffers from osteogenic sarcoma. All he wanted was to go to Lego Land.

From their hotel room at the Walt Disney World Resort, tired from a day of watching his daughter swim with dolphins, Tracy Verrier said Paige was "very blissful and very happy."

Paige has been riding horses as part of her therapy. Her doctor told the family that a great mammal to ride is a dolphin. Ever since then, that's all she could talk about.

As for the Earls, Glenda Earl said her son has spent so much of his life in hospitals that he needed something to keep him entertained. Legos, the little plastic building blocks, fit right in. Maybe more so than the family anticipated.

"It's the only place to find Legos he doesn't already have," Glenda Earl said.

While in San Diego, the Earls also will visit the zoo and the Wild Animal Kingdom.

"Words can't explain what this trip means to us and Ethan," his mother said. "This is his opportunity to go where he's always wanted to go."

The Earls return home on Sunday.

Paige had a second part of her wish come true. Her father said she wants to get her feet in the sand and listen to the sound of the ocean.

"We would really hate to come all the way here and not see the ocean," Tracy Verrier said.

So Make-A-Wish arranged for them to have a handicapped-accessible van to drive in Florida. They also will be visiting Sea World, where they will receive a behind-the-scenes tour that will take them inside, where Paige will be able to pet animals and fish alike.

When the family returns on Sunday, they only have a short while before Paige is scheduled to undergo bilateral hip surgery, which will require a week of hospitalization and months of braces.

"We're celebrating Paige and celebrating each other," her father said. "It's certainly more than a free trip - it's an experience where we can put her medical trouble aside for a bit."

(Reach reporter Chris Rosacker at 250-8254 or chris.rosacker@bismarcktribune.com.)