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New documents obtained by Rodiyat Alabede's family through requests to federal and provincial authorities paint a timeline of what happened when she died. Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
On a Saturday afternoon in October, 22-year-old university student Rodiyat Alabede began her first donation of plasma, a component of blood used to manufacture medicine, at a commercial collection centre in Winnipeg operated by pharmaceutical company Grifols.
The procedure began at about 4:15 p.m. Over the next 46 minutes, the donation machine displayed five alerts related to the young woman’s blood pressure and blood flow.
At least one of these could have resulted in the donation being terminated if staff had responded according to the plasma machine’s operating manual, a newly obtained report by Health Canada says.
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Rodiyat Alabede. Courtesy of family
At 5:01 p.m., Ms. Alabede began convulsing with seizure-like symptoms. Grifols staff ended the donation two minutes later but had difficulty finding a pulse. Over the next hour, staff and then paramedics tried to resuscitate her but could not. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.
These details, not previously reported, come from a tranche of documents obtained by Ms. Alabede’s family through requests to federal and provincial authorities, and subsequently shared with The Globe and Mail.
Together, the documents paint the most complete timeline yet available of what happened when Ms. Alabede died − and raise fresh questions about why, months later, Health Canada found that there was “no linkage” between the young woman’s death and the plasma donation process, a determination her family disputes and wants investigated.
The documents include Grifols’ internal reports written shortly after the death; contemporaneous accounts from Winnipeg first-responders and hospital physicians; letters from a Health Canada inspector who visited the clinic following the death; and Grifols’ written responses to Health Canada’s concerns.
Barcelona-based Grifols is licensed by Health Canada and operates a network of 17 plasma donation centres in six provinces under the auspices of an agreement signed with Canadian Blood Services in 2022. Grifols pays donors , while CBS, a government-funded charity, does not.
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According to Grifols’ reports, Ms. Alabede arrived at their clinic on Taylor Avenue at 2:11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. It was her first time donating plasma, a golden-coloured, protein-rich fluid found in blood.
After going through the company’s registration, screening and medical assessment process, the donation began at 4:15 p.m.
During a plasma donation, blood is extracted and drawn into a machine, where it is mixed with anticoagulants and separated into components. The red blood cells and saline are then reinserted into the donor while the plasma is retained.
According to Grifols’ report, four alerts displayed on the machine attached to Ms. Alabede at 4:20 p.m., 4:22 p.m., 4:35 p.m. and 4:53 p.m. The first two alerts were identified as “3602 - high return pressure,” which indicates the pressure in the donor’s vein is too high.
The report says a Grifols staff member checked the site where the needle was inserted, and after the second alert adjusted the needle and continued the donation.
The third and fourth alerts were “3508 - no blood flow.” Staff adjusted Ms. Alabede’s arm position after the third alert and adjusted the draw rate after the fourth alert.
The Grifols’ report said Ms. Alabede “did not show signs of distress or report any discomfort” through the first four alerts.
At 5:01 p.m., Ms. Alabede began to react. The machine then displayed a fifth alert, “3603 - high return pressure.”
The description of Ms. Alabede’s exact symptoms differs slightly in two of Grifols’ reports. A hand-written form says she “was awake and breathing, but not able to verbalize symptoms.” A typed report says she “experienced a sudden loss of consciousness and began convulsing while speaking on the phone.”
The typed Grifols report says staff noticed her convulsions quickly, elevated the foot of her bed and brought ice packs. The centre’s physician – who like other staff mentioned in the reports is not named – “found the donor unresponsive with shallow respirations, uncoordinated head movements.” The procedure was terminated at 5:03 p.m.
The physician instructed staff to use equipment, including a blood pressure monitor, to check for vital signs, but none could be obtained. The report says the doctor was able to “palpate a carotid pulse,” a technique for feeling for a pulse in the neck. At 5:10 p.m., the physician asked staff to call emergency services.
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