22-year-old foreign student dies after donating plasma in Canada: ‘No correlation between passing and…’

Federal health authorities are investigating the death of a 22-year-old Nigerian international student who died after donating plasma at a paid collection center in Canada. Health Canada confirmed that Rodiat Alabede died on October 25, 2025, after attending an appointment at the Grifols Plasma Donation Center on Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The federal department said it has received reports of two fatal adverse reactions involving plasma donors, with the second death reported on Jan. 30, 2026, at another Grifols clinic in Winnipeg.Alabed moved to Canada from Nigeria in 2022 to study at the University of Winnipeg, where he trained as a social worker. She was active in the community and well-liked by those who knew her, friends said. During the donation process, she reportedly became unresponsive and died shortly after. Officials have not formally determined whether the plasma donation procedure itself caused her death.Health Canada confirmed it received mandatory reports from the clinic after the two deaths and sent inspectors to facilities operated by Grifols. Grifols is a Spanish healthcare company that operates multiple plasma collection centers across Canada. Griffiths publicly expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased. The company said it has “no reason to believe there is a correlation between the death of a donor and plasma donation,” noting that donors undergo health assessments before being approved to donate plasma.Plasma donation involves drawing blood, separating the plasma, and returning red blood cells to the donor. The procedure is often used in medical treatment and research, and paid plasma donation clinics reimburse donors. In Canada, individuals who donate plasma at such for-profit centers can be paid up to about C$100 each time, with additional bonuses for frequent visits, making donating plasma a source of income for some students and low-income earners.