Introduction Resilience is a personal characteristic that assists recovery from psychological impact. This study aimed to examine resilience-related factors focusing on the meanings of ‘work’.

Methods This was a case study. A semi-guided interview was conducted with a participant in December 2014. We gathered narratives and analysed qualitatively and descriptively. Our University ethics committee approved this study.

Results The participant was a woman in her 30 s.The source of psychological impact was a surgery to remove uterine cancer in her 20 s. Her current work involved giving lecturers on the importance of medical examination. The interview lasted 64 min. From the interview, 102 codes, 42 sub categories, and 11 categories were obtained. The extracted items included decline of self-esteem, acceptance of one’s situation, existence of supporters, sorting out feelings through work, clarification of one’s role, and being an advocator of uterus cancer.

Discussion Resilience after experiencing psychological impact was related to work and clarification of one’s role through the work. Working plays a significant role in supporting one’s resilience. It is necessary to facilitate environmental system that achieves good balance between work and treatment.