Little Piper Revere may be given the gift of hearing in 2008 after being put on the list for a cochlear implant.
The profoundly deaf 16-month-old was born weighing just 4lbs with severely underdeveloped lungs after her mum Kate caught a virus during pregnancy.
Piper is now on the waiting list for the complex operation, which it is hoped will take place in March.
Mrs Revere, 31, originally from Calne, contracted cytomegalovirus, commonly known as CMV or slap cheek, in the first 12-weeks of her pregnancy. She said: "If you catch the virus for the first time during the first few weeks of pregnancy the risk to your child is massive and can be fatal.
"We knew from early scans that Piper was very small and doctors had warned us that they didn't think she would make it to birth."
Thirty eight weeks into the pregnancy, doctors induced labour and Piper was delivered by an emergency caesarean. Immediately she was rushed to the intensive care unit and put on a ventilator.
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"At just four days old she was transferred to the Royal London Hospital and had an operation to repair and thicken her diaphragm in the hope of developing her lungs," said Mrs Revere.
"She had her eyes and ears tested, which is when they discovered she was profoundly deaf. After being hospital for six weeks and one day, Piper was allowed home even though she still only weighed 4.6lbs."
Both Mrs Revere and her husband Simon, 28, who now live in Farleigh Wick near Bradford on Avon, have set up the Moonrakers Deaf Children's Society to help other families living in North Wiltshire. Piper has been having sign language lessons each week for the last year so that she can communicate with her parents, who are also learning the technique.
Mrs Revere said: "Piper has defeated all the odds and has fought through everything that life has thrown at her.
"We don't treat her deafness as an illness or disability and the cochlear implants will just give her an option to speak and hear if she wants to.
"She is almost walking, which is amazing as the doctors told us she would never be able to hold her head up let alone move independently. Although she has a much smaller lung capacity than most children and she still sleeps like a newborn baby, she is a strong willed, beautiful little girl with a sense of humour."
Anyone interested in joining the Moonrakers Deaf Children's Society should call Mrs Revere on (01225) 867 230.
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