HONOLULU -- Josiah Darcy Fay was born prematurely five weeks ago to a brain dead mother who was severely beaten on the Big Island. Doctors released the infant on Monday.

Doctors at Queen's Medical Center gave Fay to his mother's brother, Mike, from Denver, and Mike's wife. They plan to raise Josiah.

Josiah was with his new mom, Carie, in a hotel. He weighs 5 pounds 6 ounces. That's about 2 pounds more than when he was born to his brain-dead mother, Sarah.

The family is heading to Denver on Tuesday.

"I feel blessed to be able to raise a baby like that. I mean, he's like a little miracle. He was inside my sister and she was just a wonderful, wonderful mother. And unfortunately, her life was ended short by domestic violence. So, to be blessed, it's bittersweet. You know? The only part of my sister left in this world physically is Josiah. So, I'll take that," Mike Fay said.

Mike and his wife married just a few months ago. Now they have a tiny baby to care for.

"She's great. She's going to be, already is, a beautiful, wonderful mom. She's very loving and caring and she's extremely excited, as I am," Mike Fay said.

He said that Josiah will probably return to these islands where he was born one day.

"I think so. He was born here. My sister, his mother, his original mother, was drawn for a reason and I think that has to be a part of his life," Mike Fay said. "It's a beautiful place. It's very special. He's going to know about it. We'll be back at some point."

Doctors and nurses kept Sarah Fay, 34, alive artificially for two weeks so that her baby could reach eight months in the womb. The extra time gave the infant a better chance to be strong enough to survive.

The father of the baby, Marwann Jackson, 24, has been charged with murder in the case. Jackson had a long police record with several violent crime convictions.

Sarah Fay had a 10-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. They are now with their father on the mainland.