Recognized as the father of palliative care in North America, Balfour Mount facilitated a sea of change in medical practice by foregrounding concern for the whole person as they faced incurable illness. In this intimate and far-reaching memoir, Ten Thousand Crossroads, Mount travels through the formative moments and milestones of his personal and professional life. Mount initiated his life-long pursuit of understanding and serving the needs of dying patients while interning at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital in the 1960s. The ensuing trajectory of his career led to a life-long collaboration with two storied healthcare innovators, British hospice pioneer Dame Cicely Saunders and American Psychiatrist Elisabeth K bler-Ross. As well, it resulted in a more fulsome understanding of the person-specific physical, psychosocial, and existential/spiritual needs of patients, their families, and caregivers. This era of research and partnership resulted in the first comprehensive medical school-based program for end of life care, piloted in 1975 at McGill University, and as such created a defining participant in a new medical specialty 'Palliative Medicine'. From the beginning, this program included an in-patient ward - The Palliative Care Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital, a Consultation Service to all hospital departments, a Home Care Program, an Outpatient Clinic and a Bereavement Follow Up Program, as well as research and teaching activities. Thereafter, Mount's efforts to connect with innovative thinkers under the banner of palliative care took him from under the turrets of the Royal Vic to the hills of Tuscany and beyond. From a phone call with Mother Teresa to a meeting with the Dalai Lama, Mount recalls the places and people that informed his career in engaging detail. Throughout, a compelling narrative, rooted in appreciation, humor, and humility, unfolds how this exceptional physician came to be an internationally recognized advocate for fostering comfort and peace at the crossroad between life and death.